


Once Upon a Time

by FangsofLightening



Category: Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy
Genre: Multi, Randomness, old writing for the first half or so, used most of the characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 21:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 24,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4153335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangsofLightening/pseuds/FangsofLightening
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Warrior of Light finds a book sitting on cosmos's empty throne. On the first page was the line "Once upon a time". The story that Cosmos wanted them to write would be nothing like what she was expecting. Especially since the star happened to be one of Chaos's most annoying warriors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. This was started in 2012, so the writing's honestly kind of terrible for a while and I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote half of this story. Nevertheless, I decided I may as well leave the chapters exactly as they were on fanfiction.net (with spelling/grammatical corrections) so I don't completely change the story. I had stopped working on it for two years before getting back to it, so the difference in writing's pretty obvious.

Chapter 1

_A book sat on Cosmos's empty throne. It was the kind of tome you'd find in an old library, thick and old. The Warrior of Light, upon seeing it, took a sharp intake of breath. He reached out and slowly turned the cover. On the first page of the book was half a sentence, written by Cosmos._

_Once upon a time_

_The Warrior of Light blinked a few times. Noticing a pencil beside the book on the throne, he picked it up. A few moments passed and he leaned over the book._

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful queen. Her life had been peaceful and happy for many years. She had quite forgotten about an old promise she had made. One which was the reason she had that title in the first place. When the gods blessed her with a child, she was reminded of it. Terra, the half-esper, had helped her impress the king to save her life. In return, she had promised her firstborn to the young woman. The queen could only pray that the other had forgotten.

Unfortunately, she had not. The queen tried to convince her otherwise when Terra came for her baby. But the half-esper wouldn't hear it. The queen had a choice; she could either hand over her child, or doom her kingdom. In the queen's eyes, she had no choice. She gave up her baby to save her kingdom. Terra spirited the newborn away to a manor deep in an enchanted forest. She named the young ex-prince Mateus.

_"What are you writing?" Cecil asked. He came to stand to the warrior's left._

_"Cosmos left a book here. I believe she wants us to write the story." Cecil took the book and read what had already been written._

_"Can I add to it?"_

_The Warrior of Light handed him the pencil. Cecil sat on the ground and began writing._

The years passed and though Terra didn't age, Mateus grew into a fine young man. He got most of what he desired, as Terra felt the need to spoil him as though he were her own. By his twenty-second year, all he really wanted was to leave the manor. Terra had done well keeping him there, but he longed to see the outside world through more than just his window.

One afternoon in late summer found him staring out the window in his room. He had been doing it more and more recently.

"Staring out the window again?"

Mateus turned at the sound of Terra's voice behind him. He gave her a weak smile, hoping that was enough of a greeting. A frown replaced Terra's smile and she went over to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I- Why am I not allowed to leave the manor?" Mateus met her gaze with his own. Terra gently laid a hand on his cheek.

"The world is a dangerous place, Mateus. Especially for someone like you."

"But you've been teaching me magic. Surely that-"

"Mateus." He fell silent at the stern tone of her voice. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Just promise me one thing. If you get into too much trouble, you come home. I don't want anything to happen to you out there."

"I will, mother."

Mateus pulled Terra into a hug. She dissipated the magic barrier that kept him inside. He paused in the doorway and took a deep breath. After all he had heard of the outer world, Mateus was a little hesitant about actually leaving. He turned, gave Terra one last smile, and left.

But he wasn't the only one waiting for that moment.

A safe distance from the manor, two typical bandit thugs were watching through binoculars. The moment the barrier dissipated, one of them radioed their leader.

"Barrier's down. Orders?"

"Wait till the brat's outta the grounds," a gruff voice said over the radio. "Once he's in the forest, grab 'im. Just don't let the witch see ya do it."

The bandit thugs nodded, though their boss couldn't see them. It only took Mateus a few minutes to reach a suitable location. Without hesitation or warning, they jumped out and knocked him unconscious. With him unable to make a fuss, they carried him to their hideout.

_"There," Cecil said. He proudly leaned back. The Warrior of Light read what he had written and smiled. "Now what?"_

_"Now we put it someplace the others can find it. That way, they can add to it as well."_

_The Warrior of Light and Cecil set out to find a place to put the book. After a while, they decided to put it on a small altar in the main hall. The pencil was lying next to it. The Warrior of Light hung a sign above the altar so that everyone would know what to do with it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Another chapter from 2012.

The ex-prince's stay with the bandits was not entirely pleasant, but was cut short. He had been with them all of one and a half days when their hideout came under attack. The scouting party for that day came back shortly after lunch. At first, the bandits thought there was nothing wrong with their comrades. They found out how wrong they were when the others made them their lunch. Somewhere on their patrols, they had been turned into horrible, flesh-eating zombies. In the chaos caused by the zombified bandit's lunch, a young thief from the desert slipped into the hideout.

_"What the hell, Bartz. Zombies? You should've gone with flesh-eating plants," Zidane said once he had read Bartz's writing._

_"That's not any better, Zidane."_

The young desert thief went with his instincts. He made his way to the depths of the hideout avoiding zombies, traps, and tempting treasures along the way. When he finally reached the basement, he found himself standing in an empty room. He just knew his prize was on the other side of the room, beyond the door. He was halfway across the room when the warm air became freezing. Ice covered the door he was walking toward. The thief knew he'd have to fight. He drew his sword and turned, prepared for battle.

A gorgeous woman came down to stand a few feet from him. Her hair was blue, her skin a few shades lighter. She was clad in frosty lingerie, with an impressive form to match. Unfortunately, her advantage was lost on the young thief. He was gay as ice was cold. Without warning, she attacked.

The battle was lengthy and the thief began worrying that he was running out of time. He ran straight at the woman, dodging the ice she threw at him. Once close enough, he ran her through with his sword. There was the sound of ice cracking and she exploded. With the guardian defeated, the ice melted away.  
His mission in mind, the thief went over to the door. He ignored his wounds and opened it. Mateus turned when he heard the door swing open.

"I'm here to get you out," the thief said. He entered the rom and took Mateus's hand. "Come with me. We don't have much time."

Mateus refused to budge.

"Who are you and what's going on?"

"Vaan. You are Mateus, correct?" Mateus nodded. "Then I'm here to get you out. The place is full of zombies, so we need to be careful."

The two made their way out of the hideout. Night fell sooner than expected and they were forced to make camp in some old ruins.

_"What?! I am not- Damn you Zidane. Well fine. Two can play at this game."_

They made it to town around lunch the next day. Vaan wanted to hurry to the Lord's Manor, but there was a festival in town. He couldn't resist the temptation too long, and Mateus's excitement didn't help. The men who hired him weren't exacty going to let Mateus do anything fun, so Vaan decided to bring him for a few hours at the least. The town was full of excitement and wonder. The circus was in the park, and nearly everyone had the day off. Mateus seemed happy, as though he had never been to one before. Soon, it had rubbed off on Vaan and he found himself having more fun than he had in a while.

"So, what do you like to do in your free time?" Vaan asked Mateus.

"Ah, I didn't have much to do. When mother wasn't teaching me magic, I was in the library."

"So you've never been to a festival before." It wasn't a question- it was a fact. Mateus seemed embarrassed about it.

"You can't help it if you've been locked up inside a manor all your life."

"How did you-"

A beautiful young woman ran over to the two. She was short, blond, and excited.

"Excuse me," she said. "Are you Mateus, by any chance?"

Vann stared at the woman. Something about her seemed off. Mateus didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, I am." Mateus sounded a little unsure.

"Wonderful." She clapped her hands as she spoke. "There's someone who would like to have a word with you."

Without another word, she began pulling Mateus off. Vaan followed, knowing he shouldn't let Mateus out of his sight. She brought them to a temple.

Inside, there was a man who looked like he was praying to the statue. The young woman ran over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
"Firion, I found them."

"Thank you Zidane," Firion said.

He stood and turned to look at Mateus and Vaan.

"So you're Mateus." Mateus nodded. If he was confused, it didn't show. "I was wondering when you'd be let out of that manor. There's something that you must be told."

_Vaan moved away from the bok and set the pencil down. He had a grin on his face as he walked away._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

"Yesterday, as I was praying for- never mind. Cosmos spoke to me yesterday. She told me to find you so that I could give you a warning." Firion looked between the two. "Every few centuries, a child will be born with magical abilities far surpassing those of the average mage. Their powers are said to be enough to conquer both heaven and hell. You are this mage. People will be looking for you, Mateus. You must not allow them to use your powers for their own gain. If they achieve in their goal, this planet is done for."

_"What the hell? Why him of all people?" Tidus asked. Cecil shrugged.  
"We needed some kind of interesting plot. It was either that or make him father a god, once he found the woman with the right potential."_

_Tidus stared at the paladin._

_"What kind of choices are those? How did you even get them?"_

_"They could work. Trust me."_

_Tidus made a noise of discontent and turned his attention to the book. He tapped the pencil on his lower lip a few times before finally adding._

Mateus smiled. He liked the idea of having those powers within his body. Vaan looked at him and frowned. Firion gave Mateus a pleading look.

"Don't use them, please. As someone who lives in this world, you must understand." The young priest had his hands clasped over his heart.

"I think we should be going now," Vaan said. He started pulling on Mateus's arm.

Firion stared after them as Mateus was lead out of the temple. Mateus couldn't help but think there was more Firion could've told him.

"Why did we need to leave so suddenly?" he asked Vaan.

"We just did. Enough time has been wasted. My employers are probably wondering where we are."

"And how do I know your employers aren't the exact people that Firion warned me about?" Mateus yanked his hand from Vaan.

"You don't." Mateus turned to leave. Vaan grabbed his arm. "Look. I don't know what kind of people they are either. They gave me the job and I took it. Would you just come with me?"

Mateus looked at the young thief. He shook his head.

"I can't."

"If not there, then where will you go? Surely not back to that manor."

"Why wouldn't I? I may have wanted to leave, but if this is how the world is going to work, then-"

Mateus was cut off by Vaan's hand meeting his cheek.

"It's one thing to not be able to leave the manor. But it's another entirely if you go back and stay of your own will." Vaan was glaring up into Mateus's eyes. 

"You can't hide from life, Mateus."

Mateus stared at the younger in disbelief.

"You just..."

"You were being an idiot. Now, come on. I need you to get your ass in that mansion."

Just as they were passing through town square, Vaan saw what remained of the bandits. Luckily, they had no idea of the part he had played in the attack. However, they would recognize Mateus. He grabbed the other and pulled him into the nearest store.

"Now what are you doing?" Mateus sounded exasperated.

"You want to return to the bandits?" Mateus shot him a look. "Didn't think so. I've got you covered. Just trust me."

Mateus found himself distracted by all the clothes in the store he had been dragged into. With a smile, he set off to see if anything piqued his interest. Vaan watched as the bandits looked around the area and wandered off. He turned only to find that Mateus was missing.

Mateus was near the back of the store, staring at the clothes hanging on the wall. A woman came up to him, a smile on her face. She had purple hair and eyes.

"Looking for anything in particular?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Just looking around."

"That's where you got off to!" Vaan yelled.

Mateus and the young woman both turned to look at him. He had a frown on his face, which Mateus decided didn't suit him all that well.

"I was bored, and-"

"You could've gotten kidnapped again. What is wrong with you?"

"The same thing you've been more than happy to remind me of," Mateus spat back bitterly. "I was raised in a manor my whole life. I know nothing of what the rest of the world holds, save what I could see from my bedroom window. So forgive me if I found myself interested in something."

Mateus turned and stalked away. Vaan gave an irritated sigh and went after him.

"Where do you think you're going now?"

Mateus pretended not to hear him.

"I'm speaking to you, Your Majesty." Vaan's tone was mocking. Mateus spun around and stopped him with a glare.

"I didn't leave my manor to get locked away in someone else's. I'd like to savor my freedom, if you don't mind. So leave me alone."

Mateus walked off again, continuing to pointedly ignore Vaan. The thief saw nothing he could do but follow the other man.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

"There's really nowhere for you to go," Vaan called after Mateus. They were walking through the town, in the direction of the exit.

"I'm sure I can find someplace to go." The response was thrown over his shoulder.

With an exasperated sigh, Vaan threw his hands up in defeat.

"Fine. I won't turn you in. Just get back here, would you? I went to all the trouble of getting you, you could at least-"

"All right." Mateus turned and looked down his nose at Vaan. "You can come with me."

Vaan stared at the other man.

"You've never been out of your manor before today. What gives you the right to be so arrogant?"

As Mateus went to reply, he found himself swept off his feet by a man swinging through the street. Where the rope came from or how it was staying wherever it was was a complete mystery to all involved. Mateus glared up at his captor. The man had long silver hair and a murderous intent about him. Nervousness possessed Mateus and he opted to remain as still as possible.

"Hey! That's mine! Find your own!" Vaan yelled at the man.

The man landed on a rooftop and turned to look at Vaan.

"I am helping him discover his true destiny," he said. "If I were you, I'd scamper off like the mouse you are."

Mateus looked between the two as they began arguing. Despite the man's tight grasp, Mateus attempted to move away. That only made the grip tighten.

"I am not a thing to be tossed around from person to person!" he yelled. "Let go of me, now!"

The man turned and slapped Mateus.

"You will not give me an order," he snarled.

Mateus stared at him, complete shock on his face. A bright red handprint made its existence known, the shock wearing off even slower. The man seemed content with the reaction and looked back at Vaan. With a cocky smirk, he lifted Mateus. A single huge black wing burst from the right side of his back. He turned and took flight as Vaan helplessly glared after him.

-Back at the manor-

"I should've known not to give him to you!" Kefka screamed. "Now you've lost him!"

"I didn't lose him," Terra said. "I couldn't bring myself to keep him here any longer."

"So you let him lose?" Kefka began laughing. "You should've just sent him to me."

"You would've hurt him!" Terra's protest was out of her mouth before she could think about what she was saying.

Kefka stared at her. Amusement danced in his eyes as a wide grin crossed his face.

"And why would that matter?"

"I've raised him since he was a baby." Terra's gaze shifted to the floor. "I... I've come to think of him as my own."

Kefka sighed and shook his head. Something had warned him against putting her in charge of the brat's care. Needless to say, he now wished he had listened to that little voice. Terra was a woman, half-esper or not.

"I knew I should've raised him myself. We're going to go look for him." Terra followed him when he went to the door. "He's too important for us not to know where he is."

The two left the manor.

-In the city-

Vaan paced from one side of his room to the other. After returning to the manor empty handed, he had gotten to see Ultimecia angry for the first time. Her voice had barely raised, though the tone had been dripping with anger and the promise to kill someone. Luckily, he had been deemed too important to be killed. Instead, he was now in charge of finding the now-once-again-kidnapped Mateus. Problem was, he had no idea where to start looking. The man who had taken his charge was a stranger to him. Whether he was hired, or on his own was the first thing Vaan had tried to find out. Unfortunately, nobody could tell him anything. Now, Ultimecia was even angrier with him, and he was scheduled to leave early the next morning. With a sigh, Vaan flopped down onto his bed.

'I'm a thief, not meant for these kinds of jobs,' he thought. 'At least I know what he looks like. Maybe that girl could help me. What was her name...?' Vaan rolled onto his side and frowned at the wall. 'Zidane! That was her name!' It was too late by then, so Vaan decided to wait until morning to go looking.

_"How long am I going to be a woman?" Zidane asked. His tail was swishing in angry strokes. Tidus watched it with rapt fascination. A small pout adorned his face and Cloud couldn't stop the smirk._

_"I'm just going by what was written," he said. "Vaan doesn't know you're male yet."_

_"Dammit, come on. Would someone fix my reputation?" Zidane yelled to the others in the room. He yelped when a hand gripped his tail._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

Vaan woke early the next morning. He stretched and pulled himself out of bed before getting dressed. It was a typical day's start in the life of Vaan, save for the fact that he was going to go out looking for a woman. Without bothering to notify Ultimecia, he left the manor and set off down the hill toward town. Immediately upon entering the city, he set a straight path for the temple.

When he got there nearly half an hour later, he found Firion praying again.

"Hey, Zidane here?" Vaan asked. Firion shook his head. "All right then. Any place you know I could find her?"

Firion smiled. "She's usually at the market."

Vaan waved his hand as he turned and left the temple. Firion got back to praying with an amused expression on his face. Vaan wandered around the market for nearly an hour. Finding no sign of her, he was prepared to give up and look for Mateus on his own. Vaan sat on a bench and thought about what to do. Just then, a young man with blond hair pulled into a low ponytail and a tail walked by.

"Excuse me," he said. The short young man turned toward him. "I'm looking for a young lady. She's around your height, blond, blue eyes... Her name's Zidane. You seen her?"

"What do you want with Zidane?" he asked.

"I'm looking for someone, and I was hoping she could help me."

The man looked thoughtful, tail swishing from side to side. After a few moments of careful consideration, he held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you. Vaan, right?" Vaan shook his hand as he nodded. "So, who're you looking for?"

"Mateus. He got taken yesterday and-"

"Who took him?"

"Dunno," Vaan shrugged. "A man. Tall, with long silver hair-"

"Black clothes?" Vaan nodded. Zidane smiled. "I know exactly where he is."

-In another town-

Mateus was ungraciously dumped on the ground before an old wooden door. As he stood, scowling, his captor threw open the door.

"Finally! A voice from inside the house yelled. "It's about time you got home."

The voice continued talking as Mateus was pulled to his feet and pushed through the doorway. He looked around as the other man came in behind him. It was a decent sized place, he supposed. Photos and bookshelves lined the walls. A fireplace stood to one side, with a fire burning in it. Mateus was pushed onto the couch and found himself looking at a table full of papers and books.

"I'm glad you're home, Sephiroth. What kept- Who is that?"

A man with short, spiked blond hair stood in the doorway. He was staring at Mateus with a neutral expression, though his voice had been full of anger.

"I ran into a dilemma on my way home," Sephiroth said. "Cecil asked me to look for-"

"Since when do you get along with Cecil?"

"Cloud..." Sephiroth held his hands up in front of himself. Cloud looked as though he was going to hit the taller man at any moment. "He asked me because he knew I could do it."

"Really?" Cloud had an eyebrow arched. Mateus got the feeling he didn't believe the other.

"Is anyone going to explain to me what is going on?" Mateus interrupted their argument. He didn't like being dragged around like this- not a thing actually explained, by people he'd never met before.

"I didn't ask," Sephiroth said. "I just know Cecil wanted you for something." He gave Cloud a kiss before leaving the room. "Make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

Cloud looked at Mateus. Mateus shifted a bit uncomfortably under the other's gaze.

"You hungry?" he asked.

Mateus was about to respond when a humiliating thing happened. A growl came from his stomach as it made its opinion known. Mateus's face flushed and he looked away from the blond. Cloud smiled and left the room. Mateus sighed, leaning against the back of the couch. He had no idea where he was- or where he'd go, for that matter.

_"Why am I living with Sephiroth?" Cloud asked. His blue eyes held a hint of anger as he stared at Squall. The other merely shrugged._

_Bartz smiled at the both of them._

_"I think it's fine," he said. Everyone in the room stared at him._

_Laguna approached the book and lifted the pencil. Vaan watched him with interest._

It was a few hours before anything happened. The sun had set, Sephiroth had gotten his plans in order, and Cloud had kicked him out of their room to find another place to sleep. Mateus stared at the grumbling soldier. As he went to say something, there was a great rumbling from outside. The sound of bombs falling from the sky and explosions could be heard across the town. Cloud ran into the room wearing chocobo-print pajamas. Before Mateus was quite sure what was happening, Sephiroth had grabbed him and ran out the door.

"Is this really the best idea?" Mateus yelled. He'd never been in a situation like this before, but he was pretty sure you weren't supposed to go into the street.

"We'll be fine," Cloud said.

Mateus doubted him, but together they all made it out of town without getting blown to pieces. The area was flattened behind them as they made their way toward the mountains.

"It seems they've chosen war," Cloud said. Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

"Who's chosen war?" Mateus asked.

"Chaos. He and Cosmos have been at odds for years," Cloud explained. "They each control half the world. Chaos had been planning on taking Cosmos's half for himself for a while now... If the rumors are to be believed."

"Right." Mateus nodded. "What does that have to do with me?"

"There was a prophecy twenty-two years ago-" Cloud began.

"First, we need to get him to Cecil," Sephiroth said. "Once there, everything will be explained."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

_"Where exactly is this story going?" the Onion Knight asked.  
"Wherever it ends up." The Warrior of Light shrugged._

Vaan and Zidane looked out over the levelled town. Both had a look of disbelief, which quickly changed to worry.

"You're sure this is the place?" Vaan asked.

"No... This place had the best doughnut shop in the kingdom!" Zidane yelled.

"Seriously?" Vaan couldn't believe what he had heard. "I was talking about Mateus. You said the guy who took him would have brought him here."

"Oh. That's right. Well, I'm sure Mateus is fine. We just need to go to Baron. It's the closest town. Someone's bound to know something."

Vaan nodded. He just hoped nobody else had taken the blond. The two set off, Zidane in the lead.

-Baron-

"Could you stop picking me up? I can walk!" Mateus yelled.

"I had to make sure you weren't going to to run away," Sephiroth explained as he set him down.

Cloud's motorcycle came to a stop next to them. He lifted his motorcycle goggles off his face and stared into the city.

"I've never liked this place," he said.

"Because Cecil's here?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud gave him a death glare. "He's not that bad."

"It's not Cecil. I just don't like this town."

Sephiroth pulled Mateus along behind him, ignoring Cloud's minor protests. Mateus tried to pull his hand out from the other man's grasp, but to no avail. Cloud opted to stay at the edge of town rather than follow the other two.

"Unhand me!" Mateus commanded. "What is wrong with you people? I'm a human being, not an item to be dragged wherever you happen to want it."

Sephiroth turned to say something to him, but was cut off when a great sword flew between the two. Sephiroth backed away, releasing Mateus's hand.

"Hand 'im over," a gruff voice said. Mateus looked in the direction it came from. Standing there was a tanned. muscular man who seemed to have something against shirts and shoes. A large 'J' was tattooed onto his torso.

"Jecht... What do you want him for?"

Mateus stared between the two of them. He couldn't believe it. He'd only been out of the manor a few days, and had already been dragged around and fought over by people he didn't know. Part of him wanted his mother back.

"Don't need 'im," Jecht said. "But I know someone who does."

Sephiroth drew his katana, staring at Jecht.

"Whoever wins gets to keep him," he said.

Jecht grinned. Mateus stomped between the two of them, frowning.

"I will decide who I go with."

"No you won't. Get behind me," Sephiroth said.

Mateus tried to hold in his anger. It wasn't proper, Mother had taught him. You never lose your temper in public. Calmly, Mateus stepped to the side. The two men charged each other as Mateus sat in an invisible chair. He crossed his legs and relaxed. By the personalities clashing before him, he figured they were going to be here a while. Cloud, who had decided it would be better to just come inside than hang around out there, came up behind him.

"In town no longer than twenty minutes and he's already picked a fight?" He shook his head, trying to remember what he ever found attractive about the general.

"The brute picked the fight. Sephiroth merely rose to the occasion," Mateus stated.

A hand touched his arm, and Mateus turned. Cloud gave him a slight smile, tilting his head to the side. Mateus understood. He stood and followed Cloud farther into town. They walked like that until they came to a plaza with a fountain in it. North was a straight road to the manor. Cloud gestured to it.

"Cecil lives up there, if you wish to see him," he said. "If not, the temple's west of here."

Mateus nodded his thanks and Cloud left, hoisting the Buster Sword onto his shoulder. Mateus couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for the general. Turning, Mateus looked to the manor. People walking by stared at him, as though it was strange to see someone staring in that direction. Turning, he set off to the west.

The temple wasn't that hard to find. It was the biggest building in the West District. A few monks and priests were in the main hall when Mateus opened the door. None of them spared him a glance, which brought a smile to his face. Stained glass depicted a beautiful woman in a flowing white gown.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" A young priest had come to stand next to Mateus. He looked over at him. The young priest smiled at him. "Were you looking for anyone in particular?"

"Does anyone here know of a prophecy that had been told twenty-two years ago? I need to know what it said."

The priest stared at him before realization crossed his features.

"I presume you are Mateus?" The shock must've been evident on his face, since the priest continued with; "Don't look so shocked. We're priests. We know all about you."

Mateus started backing away from the priest. He merely stood there, an amused smile on his face.

"We won't hurt you. You said you wanted answers, correct? Come this way."

The priest turned and began walking before Mateus could respond. With no other choice, Mateus set off after the priest. They climbed a few staircases and went down too many corridors to keep track of before finally stopping. The priest knocked on the door and motioned for Mateus to stay put. He went into the room and Mateus looked around. The door was plain wood, set into a plain stone wall. Nothing interesting. The door opened a few minutes later. The priest from before motioned for Mateus to come in, which the blond man gratefully did. Sitting in a seat by the window was an old man. He turned to inspect Mateus the moment he stopped in the room.

"So, you're Mateus," he began. "We've been waiting for you. You have a duty. As you might know, war has begun. Chaos and Cosmos are finally at odds, and all of humanity is going to be caught in the middle. Due to the powers you were born with, you must choose which side is going to win the war." Mateus couldn't believe it. The power to decide something like that- and he was never told a word of it. "Others have tried to use you, have they not? You have both the powers of harmony and discord running through you. in another realm, you were once a mighty emperor who controlled both heaven and hell. That is one of the traits you retained over your journey here."

"Why can't I just take the world for my own?"

The old man shook his head saying, "It just isn't done. Not in this realm. Power doesn't matter. Humanity as a whole will always be a pawn of the gods. We do as they command, without question. You have been given this duty, and must do as commanded."

"All my life, I've been doing as I was told," Mateus said. "When mother told me to do something, I did it without question. I finally got my freedom, and now you're telling me that my fate is already decided?" Mateus turned and went to the door. Taking a deep breath he turned. "Thank you for your assistance. I shall take my leave now."

He turned and went down the hallway. Confidence led him through the temple until he found himself once again in the main hall. The doors flew open and in ran Vaan and the woman they had met. Vaan smiled and ran over to him.

"You're safe," he said. The woman came over as well, smiling. "This is Zidane, she's actually a man."

Mateus shook Zidane's hand, not sure if he wanted to know why he had been dressed as a woman in the first place. Zidane turned and whistled, his long yellow tail swishing.

"I love goddesses," he said. "There's just something attractive about them."

"Learn anything interesting?"

"Only that gods enjoy controlling people's lives," Mateus said. He explained it to Vaan once they had sat on one of the pews.

"Wow. You're pretty important then, huh." Vaan looked impressed. Mateus felt himself grow a bit happier. "So, which one are you going to help?"

"Neither. I refuse to do as commanded. I was an emperor in a past life, I can become an emperor again."

Zidane stood, a smile on his face.

"What's next Your Majesty?" he asked. Vaan stared at him.

"I thought you would only help me until I found him."

"Adventure's always good. If I can find treasure with you guys, even better!"

"You do realize that we'll be against nearly every army in the world, both of the gods, and whoever else decides to join in, right?"

"Of course," Zidane grinned. "It'll be fun. Besides, if our damsel here gets kidnapped again, it'll be easier with two people."

"I am not a-" Mateus began protesting.

"He is sort of a damsel, isn't he? I can barely look away for a minute without him getting into some sort of trouble," Vaan mused. "All right, you're in. Two thieves are better than one, anyway."

They shook on it, and their group was formed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

The trio left town the next day. Mateus had no idea where to go. Maps did no good, since he knew nothing about the place. Zidane and Vaan were barely any good either, as both of them had pissed off one town or another. As a result, they stayed out of town for the most part, and went camping instead. The thieves knew what they were doing, so Mateus tried to not interfere.

"Your Majesty," Zidane started, "I was thinking that we should go to Cornelia. Both of the gods came from there, so it could help you."

"All right. How long would it take us to get there?"

"A few days," Zidane shrugged. "It's the next biggest town. None of us are in any trouble there, so it won't be too difficult."

"All right. We'll go to Cornelia."

_"Why am I still with him?" Vaan complained. "Couldn't I just find someone else to look after him? I thought I was just giving him to someone."_

_"It's not that bad," Yuna said. "You could be falling in love with him."_

_Vaan groaned, leaving the room. Yuna giggled and picked up the pencil._

They arrived in Cornelia a few days later. The three of them quickly found a place to spend the night, renting three rooms at the inn. Zidane had produced the money from one of his pockets, and Mateus hadn't bothered to ask where he had gotten it. With that settled and out of the way, the three made their way to the temple. Cosmos was the only god depicted, though one could see where the priests had removed Chaos from the room. The head priest looked up from his prayers as they approached.

"What brings you to our temple?" he asked.

"Actually, we were hoping to learn more about the gods. We heard this is where they originated," Zidane explained. The head priest smiled.

"Yes, the gods are from here. Please, take a seat." The old priest motioned to the pews. The trio sat down and waited for him to continue. "It was long, long ago before people were civilized. They were born into a small village in this area. The two of them had been born with mysterious powers which had never ben seen before. Between them, nearly all the world could be manipulated. Cosmos brought peace and harmony with her everywhere she went. Chaos brought war and discord. They grew together, until they at last came to be married. As time passed, their powers grew. One day, shining crystals came down from the sky. The moment they touched the couple, the crystals fused with their bodies and made them gods. As time passed, their powers grew stronger and stronger. Mankind was in turmoil as the two powers clashed. War and death was everywhere, innocent people following Cosmos slaughtered every day for trying to create peace. It was a dark time for mankind. Eventually, the gods decided it would be better if they weren't together. They said their farewells and departed for the spiritual world. Pandaemonium is the link between our world and theirs, marking the place where they left our world. Not many people can get to Pandaemonium, fewer still can stand at the top and speak to the gods."

"So, where is Pandaemonium?" Mateus asked. The old priest shrugged.

"Supposedly, it's in a vast mountain range to the west of Palamecia. The royal family keeps the path safe, so only those who gain their favor can go. It shouldn't be too hard for you, you are the heir."

"Excuse me?" Mateus said. "I wasn't born in Palamecia. I was born in a village, to parents who didn't want me. They left me in the care of the Esper-Witch."

"So she never told you. Understandable, I suppose. She did raise you."

"How much do you- We're leaving." Mateus stood, Zidane and Vaan following soon after.

"You can't escape your fate," the old priest called after him. "The gods have chosen you. No one can deny the gods."

The door slammed shut, cutting off any farther ranting from the old man. Mateus leaned against it a few moments before setting off once again.

"So, we going?" Vaan asked. "Look, don't get all upset over it. She took care of you, didn't she?"

A laugh echoed across the area.

"Going somewhere?" A man dressed like some kind of clown was standing at the foot of the stairs. Next to him was Terra.

"Mateus!" Terra ran up the stairs and threw her arms around him. "Thank goodness you're safe." Terra buried her face in his shoulder, tears of relief and happiness streaming down her face. Mateus couldn't find it in him to push her away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Am I really royalty?" he asked. She nodded, pulling away from him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I meant to, Mateus," she said. Her eyes were still full of tears as she looked up at him. "I thought for sure if I told you... You'd want to leave. I raised you since you were a baby. Over the years, I came to think of you as my own. I just couldn't bear the thought of you coming to hate me."

Mateus kissed Terra on the top of the head.

"I could never hate you. You're my mother."

"Oh, how sweet," Kefka said. His tone was mocking. "Yuck! I'll never understand the need for these heart-to-heart moments. They're useless, if you ask me."

"Well no one's asking, you creepy clown," Vaan said.

"Stay safe," Terra said. Going onto her tiptoes, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Let's leave him alone, Kefka. You can still get what you want." Kefka looked as though he didn't believe her. "If we let him go on his own, he's bound to do what you were expecting of him." Kefka looked between the two and sighed.

"He means that much to you, huh." His tone implied that he was bored. "Fine. But he better not take too long."

Kefka turned to leave, Terra following behind him. She gave Mateus one last smile before vanishing into the crowd.

_"Oh, that's so sweet," Tifa said._

_"I didn't think you liked that kind of thing," Laguna said._

_"I am a woman," she laughed. "Stuff like that's nice every once in a while."_

The threat of Kefka and Terra out of the way, the trio returned to the inn to finalize their plans.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

"So, we going to Palamecia or not?" Vaan asked.

Zidane and he had been trying to get a concrete answer out of Mateus for a while now. The prince simply lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. One arm had been flung off the edge of the bed, the other covering the upper part of his face. His companions were on the bed with him, staring down at him.

"What's the point? If we go now, they'll only trick him into doing whatever they want," Zidane said. "We need to think of something else."

"The priest," Mateus finally said. "He said something about crystals. Maybe they were left behind as well. As a link between mankind and the gods."

"Royal families?" Vaan suggested. "Mateus. Even if you're right, how are we going to ask about it? There's a war going on, and they won't want to deal with supernatural problems at a time like this."

"Supernatural problems started the whole thing," Mateus clarified. "If we explain that we could end the war at a sooner date, without sacrificing any more of their people, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to lend us a hand."

"Or we could ask around in town," Zidane said. "If any of the families have anything of that significance in their treasuries, someone's bound to know."

"The temples could have them as well, if they even exist." Mateus sat up. "We'll just have to talk to more of the priests. Go to bed. It's getting late."

Vaan and Zidane got off his bed, said their good nights, and left the room.

_"But, the temples could lie to you," Tidus said. "They should be somewhere unexpected." Yuna nodded her agreement._

The next morning found them entering the stores as soon as they opened. The group had been running out of Ethers and Potions, and had to restock. As they were shopping, Mateus asked the question that had been on his mind since last night.

"Do either of you know a temple with historical records? The priests could lie to us if we asked about something like the god's crystals."

"We could try Bevelle," Vaan said. "It's known to house historical records. 'Course, the public isn't allowed to see them. Something about the presence of the unworthy tainting the spiritual air in the lower temple."

"Well that's a load of bullshit," a voice said from behind them.

They turned to see a blond.

"Sorry. Couldn't help but overhear. Name's Tidus," he said. He had a smile on his face. "You need access to Bevelle's underground, right? I can help you there."

"How could you help?" Zidane asked. He took in Tidus's appearance. "You don't look like the religious type."

"I know someone who works there. She's married to Maester Seymour. If I ask, I'm sure she can help you."

"I say we trust the man," Zidane said. "He doesn't look smart enough to pull off an elaborate scheme."

"Even if our meeting was a little strange," Vaan said. "At least this way we can find what we're looking for."

Both looked to Mateus for the answer. He sighed.

"Well, we'll get closer to our goal," he said. Tidus smiled. Evidently, he was ecstatic to be helping.

"So... Could I stay with you guys? At least to Bevelle?" Tidus asked. "I don't really want to go on my own, and my dad's not about to help me. I can fight, I won't be dead weight." He had a small pout on his face, which Vaan could tell was working on Mateus. Either Zidane wasn't very good at reading people, or Tidus gave off the impression of being an idiot to throw people off.

"Fine. You can come with us," Mateus said. "Once we're done here, we leave for Bevelle."

_"Well, he's starting to be more like himself," Firion said. "Though, that might not be such a good thing..."_

_"Why wouldn't it be a good thing?" Mateus asked. He was standing right behind Firion. Firion turned to look at him, surprise written on his face. Mateus walked past him and picked up the book. Firion watched as he left the room with it._

_When he was done reading it, he went to return it and found Bartz standing there, looking lost. He held the book out._

_"Continue it," he commanded. Bartz took the book from his hands._

They left town twenty minutes later. Despite all his protesting, Tidus followed behind Mateus. He had the important job of ensuring that no one came over and grabbed His Royal Majesty when no one was looking. Vaan tried to keep Zidane from running to far away from the group, but to no avail. They figured it would take a few days to get to Bevelle, and Zidane was impatient.

A few days passed before anything of remote interest happened. Mateus walked with a frown on his face, as he had been the past few days. He wasn't too pleased with everything; he would've preferred it if he could make his own decisions, rather than be limited to a select few. A few yards in front of them, a giant hole appeared. Coming out of the giant hole was some strange string that seemed to be reaching for the heavens. Zidane failed to notice this occurrence. He teetered on the edge a few moments and fell in. Worry evident on his mouse-face, Vaan ran to the edge. Zidane was laying on the ground about ten feet down. Complaints drifted up to Vaan as he stared.

"You okay?" he yelled down to the monkeyboy.

"No." The reply came after a few moments. Zidane started getting up, shaking a bit. "I think I landed on my tail."

Neither noticed the string, which had curved as though looking down at Zidane. After waving from side to side a few times, it shot down and grabbed the unsuspecting thief. Mateus and Tidus also ran over, though Mateus would forever insist that he hadn't been overly worried about his companion. The string waved Zidane in the air as the thief screamed. Trying to pull his knives out, he felt his arms get grabbed. Two strings had joined the first, and Zidane could see no way of getting out.

"Don't just stand there!" he yelled. "Help me!" He wriggled, though nothing he did loosened the grip the strings had on him.

Tidus was the first to react. He looked down the hole. The strings didn't seem to come out of the ground, they were just there.

"Well, cutting them won't help..," he muttered.

Mateus, on the other hand, had found a perfect solution. He went to the edge of the hole and gauged the distance between the strings and himself. With a nod, he summoned a Flare in his right hand. Vaan jumped on his arm, protesting.

"What are you doing? Even if you destroyed the strings, Zidane's going to be hurt!"

"He'll be fine," Mateus said. He looked down his nose at Vaan, who glared up at him. Still glaring, Vaan let go of his arm. The Flare floated across the gap and caught the strings. A shrill screeching echoed across the plains. Tidus and Vaan winced as Mateus simply stood there. The strings writhed as the flames rose higher, throwing Zidane from their grasp. Another scream joined those of the strings. Zidane went flying toward Tidus, who failed to get out of the way. They crashed to the ground and Vaan ran over.

"Are you all right?" he asked the two. Zidane sat up, straddling Tidus' thighs. Tidus's breaths came in gasps, but he nodded. Zidane grinned.

"Of course I'm all right," he said. "I'm more worried about Tidus."

"I'm all right." Tidus waved his hand in the air as he spoke. "He's not that heavy." Tidus got to his feet and stretched.

"See, he's fine," Mateus said. Vaan turned to stare at the prince. After a few moments, he sighed. Mateus was right. At least Zidane was all right. Mateus turned to leave. Confusion replaced arrogance as soon as he had done so.  
The hole had vanished. The others noticed as well, but Tidus was the first to speak up.

"How does a hole like that just vanish?" he asked.

"Magic," Mateus said. "Someone must've placed it there." He looked around, but didn't see anyone or a place someone could've been hiding.

"In any case, it shouldn't take much longer for us to get to Bevelle," Tidus spoke up. "Unless our guide got us lost somewhere, we should see a huge ugly red complex of buildings in the next hour."

True to Tidus's words, they found it within the next hour. Everyone's first impression was to stare up at it. The group made their way into the city. It wasn't too hard for them to find the temple- it was the giant building at the heart of everything.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

A pregnant young woman hurried out of the temple as they approached. Tidus caught her when she threw herself into his arms. A smile lit up her face and the others wondered how much Tidus meant to her.

"Yuna..." He laughed, hugging her close.

"Be careful, Yuna," a different voice said.

A tall robed young man was coming over, amusement sparkling in his blue eyes. He had light blue hair in the strangest style any of the group had ever seen; he had short hair falling to his shoulders, with longer hair styled in a fashion that resembled pigtails going down his back. Some hair fell in front of his face, though it didn't obscure any of it from view. The veins in his face were pronounced, though not in a bad way, and both sides of his exposed chest had the same black tattoo. He was an incredibly handsome man, save for the ugly robes.

"I will," Yuna promised. "Besides, a little exercise is good for me."

"Sorry, Seymour," Tidus said when Yuna continued hanging on him. "Actually, since you're here... These guys had something they wanted to ask you." Tidus motioned toward the others as he spoke. Seymour looked over at them, smile still in place.

"I assume this has something to do with religion?" he asked.

"There's something we wanted to look for in the historical records. Tidus told us that you could look for us," Mateus explained.

"That would depend on what you are looking for."

"The crystals that gave the gods their powers," Vaan spoke up. "We were wondering if they left this world with the gods, or if they were left behind for any reason."

Seymour thought it over a few moments before saying, "Very well. I'll be back in a few hours. Until then, please keep Yuna entertained." Seymour returned to the temple.

"That went well," Mateus said. The group looked over to Yuna, who was happily spinning in circles while holding Tidus' hands.

"Yuna, stop. You'll make yourself dizzy," Tidus was saying. He was laughing with her, though. That only seemed to encourage her.

"Oh, it's all right. You're here to catch me, anyway." Yuna fell to the side a bit, Tidus catching her. She smiled up at him.

"Fun's over, Yuna. What would the priests say if they saw you like this with someone other than Seymour?"

"The same thing they would've thought if they knew about the three of us before I married Seymour," she responded. Yuna stood fully and looked at the others. "You can stay in the temple until Seymour returns." Yuna went inside and the group followed.

_"Yuna... Why are you pregnant?" Tidus asked. Yuna giggled._

_"I thought it would be more interesting that way. It was bound to happen eventually," she said. Tidus stared at her, an incredulous expression on his face. "Don't look at me like that, Tidus. Seymour isn't an unsent in the story. I'm just keeping it realistic."_

_Zidane went over to the book and picked up the pencil. He read what Yuna had written and laughed._

_"She'd be adorable," he said. Still laughing, he went to continue the story._

Seymour returned that evening with a paper in his hands. Everyone looked over to see what he had to say. Seymour had that same smile on his face, unnerving Vaan. He made his way over to them and handed the paper to Mateus.

"There wasn't much, I'm afraid. Just a few words from a lunatic who claimed to know the Gods," Seymour said. "Now, come along Yuna. I believe you've had enough excitement for one day." Yuna took the hand he offered her, gave the group one last smile, and left.

Mateus looked at the paper. Elegant handwriting adorned it, outlining every word the man had apparently said.

"The Gods have entrusted me with their protection," Mateus read. "The crystals they handed me just this morning contain their lives and will to remain in this world. I can't let the temples have it... Have to put them somewhere safe."

"That's it?" Vaan didn't sound impressed. "That's the only mention of the crystals?"

"Other than that, there's a name. ...Marduk Thompson."

"Well, that's not useful at all," Tidus whined. "The guy's probably dead by now."  
Mateus tucked the paper into his pocket and looked at his group. He opened his mouth to speak, but Seymour interrupted him.

"Since it is the evening, why don't you all stay here for the night? It won't be too much trouble, and it's been a while since Yuna had any visitors."

"We shall accept your offer," Mateus said.

He followed Seymour, motioning for the others to follow. As they made their way down the halls, Mateus couldn't help but notice the many doors they passed by.

"There certainly are a lot of rooms here," he said. 

Seymour tilted his head, glancing over at him.

"Yes, though they are hardly used," he replied. "A few months ago, the people began being untrusting of the church. As a result, the number of people working here has lowered.

"What happened a few months ago?"

"One of our priests seemingly went crazy. He was yelling about how we were keeping secrets from the people... That neither of the gods are on the side of the people..." Seymour's smile was replaced with a frown as he remembered. "We eventually got the situation resolved. Unfortunately, we could do nothing to assure people that we weren't lying to them."

"I've missed a lot, it seems."

"Don't take it too hard. Your mother had a reason for keeping you there, I'm sure." Seymour gave Mateus another smile before turning his attention to the others. "You may stay in these rooms for the night. Yuna will wish to bid you farewell tomorrow, so please stay until she gets the chance to do so." He turned and began leaving. "Have a pleasant night."

"He's not that bad, is he?" Mateus said. The others stared at him.

"Something seemed a little... off about him," Vaan said.

"Well, he went off the deep end a while back." Tidus had a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm just glad he came back to us. ...See you guys in the morning!"

Flashing them a smile, Tidus retreated into his room. The others soon entered their own rooms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

Everyone was up and in the main hall of the temple before noon. Yuna hurried over to them and threw her arms around Tidus.

"You'll come to see me again, right?" she asked. "You won't die or something, will you?"

"What?" Tidus yelled. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm worried about you," Yuna said. She looked up at him. Tears were in her eyes, which worried Tidus. "I just have a feeling that something bad's going to happen to you, and I'll never see you again."

Tidus couldn't bring himself to tell her that she was being silly. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and promised he'd come back to see her again alive and in one piece. After everyone said all their farewells, the group left Bevelle. Mateus sighed. He had been hoping for a quick adventure, one that didn't involve extras joining up simply because they felt like it. Admittedly, there were only four, including him, but he didn't want this to get out of hand.

"So, Marduk Thompson," he said. "Perhaps we should have asked where to find his family."

"You think?" Vaan said. He was walking beside Mateus, hands on the back of his head. He was looking at him from the corner of his eye. "Well, we could always turn around and ask. Or maybe one of the old people will know." Spotting someone, he ran in their direction. "Excuse me, do you know where we can find Marduk Thompson's family? We need to ask them something, but we don't know where he lives."

The old man looked at Vaan for a good long minute before responding.

"Young man, you shouldn't run 'round in that," he scolded. "You might be givin' people the wrong impression about you."

"What?" Vaan yelled. "No... I need to know if you can tell me where Marduk Thompson's family lives."

The old man was shaking his head saying; "Young people these days. Goin' 'round showin' everythin' to anyone who wants a look." Suddenly he looked up at Vaan's face. "Marduk's family? They're still in Cocoon last I recall."

"Thanks." Vaan ran back to the group. "They live in Cocoon. Anyone know how to get there?"

"Ooh, I know!" Zidane was jumping in place, waving his hand in the air. "We need to go through the Moon flow." His expression dropped. "Of course, we can't-"

"Then we must go to the Moonflow," Mateus said.

"We can't." At the scathing look Mateus gave him, he paused. "It's too dangerous. A few years back, some idiot scientist spilt some kind of toxic stuff into the water. The place's full of monsters and nobody goes near the place."

"Is there another way to Cocoon?"

"Well, there is one way. But that one takes us through an abandoned mineshaft under miles of land. That hasn't been used in at least a decade. Though I suppose you could count various monsters and freaks taking residence there as it being used."

"We shall go to the Moonflow. Which way are we going?" The tone left no room for arguments, no matter how much they wanted to.

Vaguely, Vaan wondered if Mateus had a fear of mines. Or, if he simply didn't care for anyone's safety. With a heavy sigh, he followed the others.

They arrived at the Moonflow hours later. Rather than the beautiful serene river Tidus remembered, it had been altered to what could only be described as a swamp. The water no longer sparkled in the sun. In fact, it was tinted purple. Large gnarled trees stuck out of the water in various groups with few leaves. More dead logs floated on the surface and the small bits of land that jutted out of the water no longer looked as though people could use them as stepping stones. There was an odd lack of buzzing insects, yet plenty of ribbiting frogs. Zidane and Vaan looked to Mateus as Tidus stared in horror at the swamp. Mateus observed the area with the look of a child seeing something new for the first time.

"Mateus?" Vaan started. "You sure you want to cross this? It looks-"

As he was speaking, a loud moaning started up from behind them. Zidane spun around, pulling his daggers out of their sheaths. Tidus and Vaan drew their swords and-

_"Bartz! What the hell are you writing?" Cloud yelled. He had been writing when Bartz came up, peered over his shoulder, shoved him aside, and added onto what he had been writing._

_"Adding more spice. Honestly, guys. You make it so boring."_

_Cloud left grumbling and Bartz continued writing._

-prepared for battle.

"Stay out of this, Mateus. We can handle it." Vaan had a determined look in his eyes. He would not allow any harm to come to the mage.

Mateus backed away from the horde, unsure of what he should be doing. A noise from behind grabbed his attention, and he turned. There, not five feet away, were more of the rotting things. The smell was unbearable. The mere fact that they could ambush them in the sorry state they were in said a lot about the comrades. Mateus moved back to the others, bumping into Vaan.

"It would seem they have us surrounded," he said. Vaan looked behind them and groaned.

"We gotta think of a plan, and fast!" he shouted.

_"There." Bartz laid the pencil back next to the book. With a happy, contented smile, he wandered off._

"Well, well. Didn't think I'd see you guys in a place like this." The gruff voice was one they all recognized. Jecht was standing to the side. How the old gnarled branch could hold him was anybody's guess. "Looks like you need some help."

"We don't need any help from you!" Tidus yelled.

Jecht laughed. "You always say that," he taunted. "And you always need my help in the end."

Hefting the greatsword from his back, Jecht jumped down from the tree. He joined the fight, hacking and slashing away at the living corpses. Zidane and Vaan followed suit, glad for the help. Not to be outdone by his comrades, Tidus attacked as well. Mateus did the least fighting. If only because he was so useless. One of his flares had burnt away a portion of the zombies, doing more harm than good. The zombies had simply kept moving. Flaming, this time. A shout from Vaan and Mateus ceased trying to help. He only knew fire-based magic, after all. So he hung back and watched. When all was said and done, Jecht looked at the group.

"Now, I'll be havin' the mage back."

If his extended hand was meant to convince them to hand Mateus over, it wasn't working. Rather, they got between the two.

"You can't have him," Vaan said. "If we hand him to you, you'll just hand him off to someone who only wants to use his power to take over the planet. And you'll probably do it for money."

"Ha!" The amusement on Jecht's face was clear. "You tryin' to tell me you wouldn't have done the same? Poor thief like yourself, one would think you'd want to hand him over."

Vaan didn't know how to respond. He had been going to hand him over to Ultimecia, after all. Sure, he hadn't done it yet but...

"He's mine!" Tidus declared. Jecht laughed once again.

"Yours? Princess like yourself couldn't keep a map, much less a person."

"Princess?" Tidus's face had flushed in anger and embarrassment. "I'm male, you idiot. You should know that!"

"Ha! Princess suits you just fine. You ain't strong, and you can barely handle yourself." Tidus pouted at him. It was the same look that always brought out the softer side of Jecht. Unfortunately, he had never grown immune to it. With a sigh, he submitted. "Fine. Let's see how well you can do. I ain't show it much, but I do have some faith in ya."

Tidus's expression brightened. A smile replaced his pout. "Thanks, Dad."

Jecht allowed himself to appear flustered for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, your mother would want me to have faith in ya."

They both knew it was just an excuse. Tidus had caught on a few years back, when Jecht would use it all the time. Jecht gave the group a wave before setting off away from the Moonflow. Soon after, the group resumed searching for a plan.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

The swamp truly was disgusting. Bubbles had formed on it's surface, and massive deformed frogs occasionally rose from the murky depths. Mateus stood staring with uncontained disgust on his face. Perhaps he should have gone with the mines... Vaan came up to him.

"Still wanna cross this?" he asked. "Don't know about you, but I'm not too fond of walking through questionable liquids."

"It's water. There's nothing questionable about that." Despite being the one to say it, Mateus didn't look that confident.

"Uhh, Your Majesty," Zidane said. "Water isn't purple. And it doesn't bubble like that for no reason."

"Nonsense. It's fine." Mateus looked back over the water. "We won't need to touch the water. I'm sure there's a way to cross this." He spotted one of the little patches of land and pointed. "Those, for instance. They could provide footing for us."

As the final word left his mouth, a giant bird came to perch on the land. It sat just a few seconds before flying up with a startled cry. The ground beneath it had sank into the boiling purple water. They could only stare as the majestic bird of prey transformed into a hideous, demonic thing. They turned their gazes back to the water.

"Yeah... not going anywhere near that," Tidus said.

"Perhaps we should just try the mines." Vaan's suggestion was seemingly ignored. Mateus stood a few moments longer before turning.

"Very well. It's better than risking that." Mateus gestured to the monstrosity.

Zidane sighed. "Then we better get moving. The mines only have a few entrances, and most of those are being guarded by soldiers. I know of one, but it's a few days away. And we'll have to return to Bevelle before we actually head for the mines. Don't give me that look, Your Majesty. It's not as though we've got a deadline. Taking a few days surely can't be worse than possible death."

"Chaos and Cosmos might decide to go to all-out war with each other though." Vaan said. "Everyone else will get caught up in their battle, forced to fight for one side or the other, and everything'll be destroyed. That could happen with or without Mateus."

"Then maybe we should just go to Palamecia. We can come up with something on the way. Hopefully, the world won't be destroyed and Mateus chooses the right god to side with."

Mateus started leaving. He wasn't sure he wanted to be part of this anymore. Not with everyone trying to abduct him and pass him off to someone else for money. As Zidane just pointed out, he'd have to choose one side or another as well. For all he knew, his plan would fail and he'd be stuck working as an agent for one of the gods.

"Mateus? You okay?" Vaan asked. He came up behind Mateus, laying a hand on his back.

"No. I'm frustrated," Mateus responded. "Everyone's trying to get their hands on me for their own gain, the gods want to use me to win their war, and I can't decide what to do. I thought I should go find those crystals, but now-"

"It's a good idea, Mateus." Vaan was holding his face, looking him in the eyes now. "You just want another choice. Everyone always wants another choice."

"But the crystals might not even be there. Or they will be but we won't be able to have them. If that happens, then..."

"Then we'll just take them." Vaan gave him a smile. "You've got two thieves and the son of a bandit on your side. Those crystals are as good as ours."

Mateus stared at Vaan. The expression of loss was prevalent in his eyes.

"What if they're not even there? We would've done all this for nothing. The man was a lunatic, after all. He could've been-"

Vaan raised his hand and brought it across Mateus's face. A light pink covered the cheek that had been hit.

"Don't talk like that," Vaan scolded. "Even if they don't exist, we'll think of something." Hands on both sides of his face, Vaan pulled Mateus closer to himself. After a light kiss on the stinging mark, Vaan pulled away. "I won't let you be used like that Mateus. The gods'll have to find someone else win their war if that's the case."

Zidane and Tidus looked at each other, but didn't say anything. That was a half-subtle admission of love if they'd ever heard one.

_"Now I'm in love with him?" Vaan yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you people?"_

_"I thought it was fine," Tifa said. "Now let me see..." She picked up the pencil and brought it to her lips. As she thought, she tapped the pencil._

A few days had passed since the swamp. The group had just arrived at one of the many entrances to the mines. They stood staring at the boards for a good few minutes.

"So, which entrance are we at?" Tidus asked.

All eyes on him, Zidane moved forward. Laying his hands on one of the boards, he leaned between two of them. Peering downward, Zidane tried to get a good grasp on their location. A slanted corridor led down from the boarded doorway. Obviously, none of the small lights lining the hall were on. Zidane doubted they would turn on even if they tried. Pulling back, he spoke to the others.

"It's not an entrance I'm used to," he said. "But if we follow it a little ways, I'll get my bearings."

Zidane slipped between the two boards and turned. Tidus followed with Vaan shortly behind him. Mateus looked appalled at the idea.

"There has got to be another way in there," he said. "If you think I'm bending over and squeezing myself between those boards, you are out of your minds."

"The open entrances have gates, Your Majesty," Zidane said. "It's either through here or the swamp. And since we took the last few days getting here and finding this entrance without getting caught, I suggest you use it."  
Mateus fidgeted looking at the boards.

"It's not as if you're fat," Tidus said. "There's no reason why you can't fit through there."

With an exaggerated sigh, Vaan moved over to the boards. Reaching between them, he grabbed Mateus's hand. With a yank, he forced Mateus to stumble over to the entrance. The mage hit his head on one of the boards.

"Get through here, or so help me I'll-"

"All right, all right." The moment Vaan released his hand, Mateus bent down. Delicately, he slipped first one hand through, then the other. Pulling himself forward, he soon stood with everyone else.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" Vaan grabbed his hand once again. The group started down the corridor.

Mateus wasn't certain what to make of Vaan leading him by the hand. On one side, he enjoyed having the other's hand there. On the other, he wasn't a child that needed to be led everywhere.

"I'm holding your hand so you don't manage to get yourself lost," Vaan stated. "I've come too far for you to get lost in some mine where we can't find you."

"You would be able to find me."

"Actually, these corridors turn into a maze once we get farther in," Zidane spoke up. "So, it would be easy for you to get lost. Knowing your luck, you'd end up kidnapped again. Or killed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Written in 2012.

They had been in the mines for a good few hours now. Once again, Mateus glanced down at his hand. The thief hadn't let go of it the entire time they were down there. Zidane was still leading them around, though Mateus had begun to wonder whether or not he had any idea where he was going.

"Are you certain we're heading in the proper direction?" he asked. Zidane looked back at him. "We've been down here for hours now. Shouldn't we have-"

"No worries, Your Majesty!" Zidane interrupted with a smile. "I know exactly where we are. You didn't honestly think we'd be through here in no time at all, did you?"

"Well, no... But still I-"

Vaan gave his hand a squeeze. "Relax. It'll be fine. If he says we'll be out soon, then we'll be out soon."

Mateus didn't believe him. As far as he was concerned, it was taking too much time. Despite their eyes getting used to the lighting, it was still dark. In some places the lights strung along the ceiling weren't working at all. Not that he was afraid of the dark, mind you. He was simply worried that something would take them by surprise and kill them. Why he couldn't summon a fireball for light was beyond him. Up ahead, Zidane hopped onto what appeared to be a window carved through the dirt wall. The rest of the group stopped and stared at him. Annoyingly, his tail kept swishing and hitting Vaan in the face. Vaan swatted it away. He did this a few times before finally grabbing the offending appendage. Zidane looked back, frowning.

"Let go of my tail," he said.

"Stop hitting me in the face with it."

"I can't help that," Zidane snapped. Huffing, he turned back to what he was looking at. A lever was sticking out of the wall but something had gotten it stuck. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge. "It won't move, guys."

Moving both hands onto the lever, he tried again. Despite his entire form moving with the force behind the pulling, the lever still didn't budge. He tried a few more times before finally getting the lever up. The wall to their left moved back and slid into the wall. 

"This should take us out of the mines and into the forest. From there, it won't take us long to get to Cocoon."

"What are we waiting for then?" Mateus asked as he stepped forward. It was about time they got out of the mines. Striding forward with purpose, he didn't wait to see if the others were following.

They were all out within minutes. As Zidane had said, they were in the middle of a forest. Cocoon could be seen towering over everything around it. It wouldn't be too long now before they could speak to Mr. Thompson's family.

_Lightning finally lifted the pencil. She had noticed the others writing in it, but so far hadn't added anything. Her homeland becoming involved seemed a good enough reason for her to join in. The others practically asked her to._

_"Time for things to get interesting."_

Atop the spherical city stood a female warrior. She was clad in silver armor with black cloth holding it in place. In her right hand was an enhanced Gunblade while a small circular shield was strapped to her left arm just below the elbow. Feathers flowed from her left hip down to her ankle like some kind of cape. Her expression was a serious one, with just a hint of amusement. The puppet did think he could change the order of things, after all. The will of the gods could not be denied. After working as Cosmos's general for so long, even she could not refute that simple fact. She looked to the silver-haired general at her side to seek his opinion on the matter. Arms clad in black cloth were crossed over his blue chest plate. Like herself, his expression was serious.

"What do you think, Light?" the woman asked.

"If he gets his hands on the crystals, all of Cosmos's plans will fall to ruin." Light blue eyes finally moved to return her gaze. "We must get to the crystals before they do."

"Understood."

Lightning turned away from the scene below them. It was time to consult Yeul. She was the only person now who could tell the location of the crystals. Putting her left hand over her heart, she summoned her eidolith. A pink glow enveloped her chest and when she pulled her hand away, she held a small pink crystal shaped like a rose bloom. Moving to the side of Cocoon, she prepared to summon Odin. After tossing the crystal into the air, she leapt off the side. She turned mid-air and struck the crystal, shattering it on impact. Odin came in the form of a giant mythical bird from a giant symbol above her as petals fell down around them. She landed safely on his back and continued her descent to the ground. When he landed, she hopped from his back, landing safely on the ground beside him. Purposefully, she walked into the city and went straight to the temple at the top of the sphere. Yeul was there, awaiting any visitors. Lightning approached her seat and bowed before her.

"Yeul, I seek guidance in the name of Cosmos."

"I know," Yeul said. Her soft voice echoed around in the relatively empty room. "You seek the location of the crystals. The Thompson family were the last people to see them. You need not worry about someone getting their hands on them. They are safe, Lightning."

Lightning closed her eyes, thinking it over. After a sigh she opened them again.

"I hope you're right." With those words, she left the temple and returned to her partner.

_"There." Lightning finished her last sentence and placed the pencil down again. "Let's see what they can do with this."_


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicised words are with the writers. Old chapter.

Thanks to the people of Cocoon's willingness to get them out of town as fast as possible, it didn't take long to find the Thompson's house. After a few knocks on the door, a young woman finally opened it.

"Can I help you?" Brown eyes stared at the group, both curiosity and fear filling them.

"Yes. We're here about something an ancestor of yours had." When the woman didn't do anything, Mateus continued. "We're looking for a pair of crystals. Our only lead is Marduk Thompson, but-"

"You'll have to speak with Yeul. She lives in the temple at the top of the city."

"That wasn't terribly polite."

"At least she told us where to go," Tidus said. "She could've just shut the door in your face without so much as a hint."

Vaan grabbed Mateus' arm and began pulling him down the street toward the top of the spherical city. The inhabitants stared as they walked past, an air of distrust following everywhere they went. It was more than a little annoying for the mage.

"You think they're always so distrusting of newcomers?" Tidus asked. His hands were up on the back of his head as he walked, mimicking Vaan's favorite pose.

"Let's just get this over with," Mateus said.

_"Hey, Lightning," Cecil yelled. "What's Yeul look like? She's from your world, after all."_

_Lightning came into the room to help the paladin._

Thanks to the people of Cocoon, it took them nearly half the day to figure out how to get to Yeul's temple. Once the doors opened, a girl's voice met them.

"I have been expecting you."

The woman standing at the other end of the temple could have only been Yeul. Flowing blue hair framed a young but beautiful face. Green eyes with more knowledge than her physical age would lead one to believe stared at them. The hair ornaments of the seeress sat upon her head, answering most questions on why they had to see her. What a woman who could see the future had to do with their quest was still a mystery.

"I know the location of the crystals you seek." Yeul looked straight at Mateus as she spoke. "You won't find them here. You must journey to the north, where a great evil watches over them."

The group didn't like the sound of that. They'd been through so much all ready they couldn't turn back though.

"How will we know if we've found the place?" Mateus asked.

"You'll know."

Bowing low, Mateus thanked Yeul for her help. Once they left, a tall man came into the room. Covered in dark purple cloth and armor, he was her sworn guardian.

"Are you certain that was wise?" He rarely questioned her judgement. But with Cosmos seeking the crystals as well...

"I would never wish that man's fate on anyone. He should have the chance to change it."

_"Where am I supposed to go after that?" Zidane's tail swished behind him as he thought. When Laguna entered the room and took a seat, he was struck with inspiration._

Soon after leaving the city and entering the forest, they came upon an odd sight. There was a man tied upside down over a large cauldron over a roaring fire. His black hair was hanging straight down from his head, nearly touching the inner part of the cauldron. Frightened green eyes met them as they came into the area. No monsters could be seen, but he certainly hadn't put himself there. When he laid eyes on Vaan, he seemed relieved.

"Vaan! It's been a while, hasn't it?" He laughed, the merry sound astounding the others in the group. "I'm afraid I've gotten myself into a bit of trouble. You remember that group we had some troubles with a while back? Well, they did have an alien after all. They call him Black Doom, and he's a lot more dangerous than he looks."

"How'd you end up waiting for your turn to become dinner?"

Vaan had a hand on his forehead. The ex-soldier had been enough for him to deal with when they'd been together. The last thing he ever wanted was to deal with his stupidity again.

"You know him?" Zidane asked.

"Unfortunately. We were friends-"

"Don't say that!" Laguna laughed. "We were lovers, don't you remember?"

"And I regret every moment of it." Vaan muttered. "This idiot got me into more trouble than he was worth. So I dumped him. But he never got over it. No, instead he had to follow me around trying to get me to go back to him. During that time, we caught the attention of a dangerous group of people. Apparently, they decided his idiocy was more important than me."

"Anyone gonna help me out?"

"I say we leave him here."

"Let's help him."

Mateus walked forward and pulled Laguna from over the cauldron. There was no sense in letting the man be eaten now that they'd found him. Cutting the rope with the knife he requested from Zidane, he let the man fall to the ground. Handing it back to the monkey, he extended his other hand to Laguna.

"What's your name?" Mateus asked.

"Laguna." Laguna shook the hand extended to him with a smile. "So, what brings you guys out here?"

"The crystals of the gods," Mateus stated.

"Ah. Legendary artifacts. Powerful crystals." He nodded as he spoke. "You know how many people are after those things? That's how I got into this mess. I was up north somewhere, and saw these two strange looking crystals. Before I could do anything else, some men were coming after me. I ran as far as I could and ended up back here. But then those guys were waiting for me and set their alien on me. He didn't look that deadly at first. In fact , he didn't even look like an alien. More like some strange kind of hedgehog. Least, I think it looked like a hedgehog. Anyway, he attacked me and I found myself being prepared for dinner. He left in a hurry saying something about some crystals, and you guys came along."

"Let's take him with us," Mateus said. He didn't like the thought of having Vaan's ex-lover nearby, but at least the man knew where they were going.

"What?" Vaan practically yelled the word. "Why?"

"Because he knows where we're going. With him along, it won't take as long as if we went on our own. The gods aren't going to wait forever."

Vaan looked like he wanted to protest. But he knew Mateus was right. If Laguna had seen the crystals, he could probably lead them. Sighing in defeat, he simply awaited the next direction. The rest of this trip was going to be torture.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even sure what I was thinking with this chapter.

It had been a while since they'd set off in the direction Laguna had pointed them in. They hadn't gotten anywhere interesting. Just more forest.

"How far do we have to go?" Tidus whined. "This is getting boring."

"We've killed quite a few monsters," Vaan said.

He was kneeling beside the latest monster that had been unfortunate enough to attack them. What he was searching for, the rest of the group wasn't sure. But he'd been doing it with nearly everything they'd come across. After not finding anything, he stood and brushed the dirt from his knees. When he noticed the others staring, he frowned.

"What? Some of these things have stuff you can sell for a lot of Gil."

Mateus shook his head and turned his attention to Laguna.

"How much farther is it?"

Laguna looked around them. Hand on his chin, he appeared to be in thought.

"I don't think it's much farther," he said. "The forest should be gone soon."

Soon enough, Laguna was proven correct. The forest gave way to dirt and rocks. The sky was dark above them as they set foot on the stone. Nothing interesting was on the horizon. Not even single monster.

"Well that sucks," Zidane said. "For the last area, it isn't terribly interesting."

Mateus looked around with a frown before sighing.

"We might as well get moving," he said. "Nothing's going to happen if we simply stand around."

With Mateus starting to walk across the area, the rest of the group had no choice but to follow. No need for their leader to get himself killed or something. Not after they'd come this far with him.

"Mateus, maybe we should use a bit more caution," Vaan said. "Just because we can't see anything, doesn't mean nothing's there."

"I'm well aware of that." Despite his words, Mateus didn't appear to be showing the least amount of caution.

Vaan sighed. Why he was in love with that man, he couldn't remember.

_"I am not in love with him, Zidane!" Vaan yelled when he read what had last been written._

_"Oh, just leave it be. Yuna's never even liked Seymour, but she's going to have his kid." Tidus moved Vaan aside and lifted the pencil as he spoke._

_"She wrote that herself. It's a different matter entirely."_

_Tidus chuckled as he set the pencil to the paper._

The group made their way across the empty landscape. Worry over whether or not something was going to attack them had everyone tiring easier than usual. Except Mateus. Today, he seemed to have an abnormally large stamina.

"Aren't you concerned in the least bit what's going to happen over there?" Zidane asked. "There could be some kind of trap, or an army of monsters waiting for us."

"Worried about a little army?" Tidus taunted. "We'll be fine."

Vaan rolled his eyes at Tidus' comment. The other's peppiness could be annoying sometimes.

"An army isn't something to scoff at," he said. "They could very well kill us."  
Tidus laughed.

"Think positive! If an army is waiting for us, it'll just take a while to beat 'em!"

Mateus was ignoring the group behind him as he examined the ground before him. Something didn't feel right. The magic in the air was off balance. Mateus narrowed his eyes and looked around.

"Does anyone else feel that?" Immediately after asking, he regretted it. Of course they wouldn't. They couldn't use magic like he could. The others shook their heads at him.

Nobody had a chance to react when tentacles shot up from the rocky ground beneath them. Mateus turned as one wrapped around his leg and pulled him up into the air. More wrapped around other parts of the mage's body, twisting around in slimy coils he couldn't escape from. Mateus shuddered in disgust.

_"Who wants it now?" Tidus yelled. Cecil ran over and grabbed the pencil from his hand._

"Get these things off of me!" Mateus yelled. Just a few moments, and he all ready couldn't take any more. The slimy tentacle creeping up his thighs, the one stroking the side of his face... He didn't want to think of what was going to happen if they were left to their business.

Vaan, Zidane, and Tidus drew their weapons as Laguna pulled out one of his guns. Before they could make any moves to help Mateus, the ground burst up in a shower of pebbles and dust. Standing between them and their leader was an army of dwarves and gnomes. Chattering could be heard amongst the ranks of the army. Deciding it was best to use their distraction to their advantage, Laguna aimed his gun at the tentacle closest to them and fired. One of the gnomes jumped into the air, the bullet shooting into his body and he fell to the ground, dead. The rest of the army took in the sight before looking at Laguna and yelling in rage. The gunman moved back at the cry, falling onto his butt. the others ran to his sides, lifting him up as the army advanced. The opposing force was too great. Tidus and Zidane sliced at the creatures as Vaan was left to help the idiot.

"We have to help Mateus," Vaan told him. "Get to a good location and shoot one of the stupid things."

Mateus squirmed in the tentacles' grasp. It was positively revolting. They wound their way into his outfit, and over his face. One slipped into his mouth and he gagged. His magic would surely be useless. At this range, he had a high chance of hitting himself with it. Slime was in his hair and under his clothes. The tentacles made their way farther-

_"This isn't rated high enough for that!" Firion yelled as he took the pencil from Cecil's hand. "Some of us aren't old enough for that kind of content!"_

_Cecil pouted. Firion returned the pencil to its place on the pedestal and dragged Cecil away from the book._

Once Laguna had found a good location, he turned and took aim.

"His Majesty ain't going to be happy!" he yelled for everyone to hear.

Taking careful aim, he shot. The bullet followed its wanted trajectory before sinking into one of the tentacles on Mateus' thighs. The tentacle withdrew as a shrill shriek echoed across the stony plains. Laguna sighted again before firing another bullet into one of the other tentacles.

"Someone wants to get over there!"

Zidane turned to look in Mateus' direction when he heard Laguna's shout. Seeing the tentacles retracting their grasp, Zidane ran forward. He may have been shorter than Mateus, but he could still catch him. Laguna kept firing until a bullet was lodged into each of the tentacles. Mateus fell with a short cry before finding himself in Zidane's grasp.

"You're all right now, Your Majesty." Zidane winked as he continued running, Mateus in his arms.

The shrill shriek came again, louder this time. Whatever it was, Vaan didn't want to wait and find out. Laguna was already running over, gun still in his hand.

"We gettin' out of here, or what?" Laguna asked.

"We're going farther into it," Vaan said. "That's where the crystals are."

The two ran forward, dispatching every gnome and dwarf in their path. Mateus angrily sent a powerful fire spell back toward the army, nearly hitting his comrades. The other three caught up to Zidane a few minute later, after they'd left the army behind.

"See? Nothing to worry about," Tidus laughed.

He and Vaan didn't seem tired in the slightest. Laguna certainly was, being older and having less stamina than them. Carrying Mateus had also taken its toll on Zidane, who was uncharacteristically tired. The monkey-boy's tail was drooping to the ground and he was breathing a bit heavier than usual.

"Nothing to worry about?" Mateus yelled. "Do you realize what those things were trying to do to me?"

Tidus appeared apologetic for an instant before his cheerful expression returned.

"Well, they didn't get to."

Another louder shriek echoed across the rocky plains. The group could now see what looked like a cliff ahead of them. As they got closer, a glow started on the edge of the cliff. One look revealed they were thinking the same thing. It wouldn't be long now before they had the crystals.


	15. Chapter 15

At the edge of the cliff, the group looked down. The glow coming from the crystals was an exaggeration on how big the crystals really were. They sat on a small pedestal at the bottom of the cliff, shrouded in an unnatural glow. It rose from the pedestal all the way to beyond the top of the cliff. Mateus narrowed his eyes as they looked down at it. Something more had to be protecting them. It looked too simple. Zidane and Vaan seemed to have the same idea; both of them were looking around in suspicion.

"Are we going to go get them or not?" Tidus asked. "We can handle anything that attacks us afterward."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Mateus said. He looked at the others. "Let's go. We should get this over with."

The group found a way down to the crystals on the side of the cliff. It was a thin walkway, weaving down the rock to the bottom. If something attacked them on it, there wouldn't be much they could do. Laguna pulled out one of his guns and gave them a smile.

"If something attacks us, I'll take care of it. We don't want his Majesty using up all his energy before we get there." Laguna gave him a wink as he spoke.

As expected, Mateus went to go first. Vaan hurried to go before him.

"We can't protect you if you go first," Vaan said.

"I don't need protecting!" Mateus shouted. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself!"

The others sighed and ignored him anyway. If there was something down there, they wanted to get there first so he didn't use too much of his energy on magic. With what they were planning on stealing, Zidane figured they'd have to have as much of their energy as they could.

Mateus grumbled about it, but he waited for Vaan and Zidane to go first. The two thieves moved onto the narrow walkway, keeping a lookout for anything trying to attack them. Mateus followed soon after, with Tidus taking the rear. Nothing attacked them as they made their way down the side of the cliff. At the bottom, they looked around as Mateus walked over to the pedestal.

Laguna was still at the top of the cliff, using the scope on his gun to check out the area around them. Something seemed to be moving, though he couldn't quite make out what it was.

_"Seriously? Nobody's continued yet?" Bartz smirked and grabbed the pencil. It had been a few days since anyone had continued. Surely, they wouldn't mind his inclusion._

Loud moaning filled the air as zombies were suddenly filling the area. It happened as soon as Mateus's hand had touched the nearest crystal. He hadn't even lifted it yet when a screech echoed in the air from the mountain across from them. From a cave halfway up the mountain flew a monstrous creature. A jagged crown of horns stood from its head. Thick glistening scales covered its hide, large muscles making the bulk of it's form. When it landed, it shook the ground and looked at the heroes. They stared in shock and terror as all seven of its red eyes narrowed into a glare.

Gunshots filled the brief silence as Laguna fired down on the zombies. Zidane looked behind them as the creatures fell to the ground.

"We can do this, guys!" Tidus yelled. "All we need to do is focus." He got ready, tightening the grip on his sword. The monster in front of him roared as the others got prepared for a fight.

Zidane ran at the monster first, flipping his twin daggers into position before jumping up at it. The dragon swiped him away with a swing of its arm. Zidane slammed into the rock and slid to the ground. He was dazed for a few moments as Vaan attacked the zombies getting too close. Tidus ran over to Zidane to make sure the thief was all right. The dragon roared, turning its gaze back toward Mateus and Vaan when one of Laguna's bullets pierced through one of its eyes. Mateus glared at the monstrous dragon. A flare appeared in his hand and Vaan grabbed his arm.

"That isn't going to help against a dragon," he said. Mateus looked at him and sighed. "Do something about the zombies."

Mateus turned to the zombies as Vann went to join Tidus and Zidane. All three of them attacked the dragon, finding the scales too hard and thick for their swords to pierce. Zidane ran around the dragon while the other two kept it distracted. He knew there had to be a weakness somewhere, he just had to find it.

Tidus and Vaan weren't finding anything on their side, either. Even the underside was well protected. Fire from its mouth burned down some of the zombies as the two warriors dove out of the way. Claws kept them from pausing too long, continuously having to move to avoid damage.

"This thing's got to get tired eventually!" Tidus yelled.

"It's protecting the crystals. Why would it ever get tired?" Vaan ducked under it's arm again. "We need to figure out how to hurt it."

The dragon roared suddenly and threw Zidane from its back. Powerful wings pushed it into the air. A glare was on Zidane's face as he stood. By the reaction, he assumed he'd almost found it.

"We have to get behind it. I'm sure it's weakness is there somewhere."

Mateus looked over at them as he threw another ball of flames at the nearby zombies. The flames were strong enough to disintegrate them on impact, something he was glad for.

"Can I help-"

"No, Mateus!" Vaan looked back at him. "Just focus on what you're doing. If you really want to do something else, try to get the crystals while we're fighting it."

Mateus grumbled, turning away from them again.

Flames started coming down at them, interrupted when the dragon used its throat to scream instead. Bullets were piercing through the left wing. It landed hard on the ground, where Zidane quickly jumped onto its back. Tidus and Vaan distracted the dragon as Laguna fired at it again. The spines along the spine didn't do much to hinder Zidane, who ran along the side of them. Every so often, he had to duck to avoid a bullet that missed it's mark. Barely a minute passed before he was up on the back of it's neck. A scale was missing near the top, and he grinned. A roar sounded across the area again and the dragon moved to throw the thief off again. Before it could, Zidane had leapt and lunged his daggers into its body. they didn't have great reach, but still hit far enough to kill it. He looked at the bloody trail the wound left, and jumped from its back.

"We did it!" Tidus shouted.

"There are still other creatures to take care of!" Mateus snapped. The three ran over to help kill the remaining zombies. Mateus sighed and looked back at the crystals. A light shove from Vaan made him go over and pick them up. Before any other moves could be made, a light enveloped him and he vanished.


	16. Chapter 16

Mateus opened his eyes and looked around. All around him was empty space. A sudden wind nearly blew him over, sending his hair in front of him in a mess. Mateus grabbed the blond mess, moved it back behind him, and held it there. A swirling vortex was in front of him, pulling gray wisps of something into it. If he looked hard enough, he could just barely make out something taking shape inside the vortex. Before he could decide what it was, the vortex blew apart with a bright flash of light. When Mateus's vision recovered from the sudden flash, he stared in shock. Before him knelt what looked like a man. Piercing blue eyes gazed down upon him from a pale face framed with the bottom half of a large crown. Four pairs of metallic wings extended from his back, colored the same as the lower half of his crown. The only article of clothing he had were dark purple robes draped over his legs, and long gloves of the same color. Gold metal and green crystals decorated his form, appearing to have been molded into his body. All in all, it was an angelic being. A voice came, despite the fact that the purple lips didn't move.

"At last you have arrived, my Chosen. It is now time for you to decide the fate of this war." A wave of his hand pulled the crystals over to float between them.

"What if I don't want to chose either?"

A rumbling chuckled answered him.

"Then the war will continue on and bring this planet to ruin. The gods Chaos and Cosmos will continue their fight in the ruins of the planet, calling warriors from others to fight their battles. If you do not choose a side, you not only damn this planet, but others as well."

"Why me?" Mateus looked up at him. "I don't want any of this."

"You are the only one with enough magical potential. Every five hundred years, my Chosen must choose between the two gods and stall the destruction of this planet. This is the duty you must now bear."

"Duty?"

"Decreed by the Gods of Old, before Chaos and Cosmos. They had hundreds of prophecies, most of which have come to pass. The child of both Esper and Man was to raise the final Chosen that would bring an end to the war. It was no mistake you came to her. Your entire life was forged around this one task. Everything you have gone through, everyone you've met, has helped you on the path to this." Mateus backed away, shaking his head. "Your life has already been written in stone. All that is left is for you to make the choice."

"Why don't you tell me which choice I'm supposed to make?"

"Your choice is the only thing we could not foresee. It is influenced by human emotion and free will, thus unable to be foretold." There was a clack beneath Mateus as a stone floor appeared beneath him. Symbols raced in front of him when he turned, creating a stone hall from the nothing around them. "You must choose, Mateus. Once you've taken a look into your soul, we'll meet again."

_Lightning smiled and set the pen down. Someone was bound to find something to do with that._

Mateus looked down the hall before him. As with the rest of his life, there was only one path for him to take. A snarl changed his expression as he thought about it. He didn't want to do what others ordered him to do, god or otherwise. With nowhere else to go, he didn't have much choice and started down the hall.

Windows were in the walls of the hall, showing a woman he recognized as Terra. She was standing before Bhunivelze as well, reaching out and taking Cosmos's crystal as Mateus watched the scene unfold. She took on a different form as energy from the crystal wrapped around her. As her hair rose to float behind her, every article of her clothing vanished. Skin and hair turned light purple with darker purple covering the tips of her hair as well as her hands and feet. Yellow claws came out on each of her fingers and toes as she floated into the air. Before anything else could be seen, the scene dissolved and the window frame cracked.

Mateus turned to the window behind him, hoping it would show what happened next. Chaos's forces were being destroyed by the creature Terra had become. The god himself was defeated by Terra and Cosmos combining their powers and attacking together. The window cracked as the scene faded and he turned to look down the hall. As he walked, Mateus caught glimpses of his past in the windows. Two golden ones stood at the end of the hallway, both held shut by a latch on the side.

The left showed Cosmos, or who he assumed was Cosmos. Two warriors were at her sides, one male and the other female. She was saying something, and the vision tipped for a moment as if the viewer had nodded. It turned from the trio and Mateus watched as the world was destroyed. Wrinkling his nose, he turned away and walked to the other side of the hall.

This one showed Chaos, a horrid creature with horns atop his head and four arms. The world wasn't destroyed, though the outcome was no better. Everyone was enslaved and forced to work for Chaos. Mateus snarled in disgust and turned from that as well.

A large, golden gate appeared before him at the very end of the hallway. It was time to see Bhunivelze again. With his irritability still twisting his expression, Mateus pushed them open and walked through.

"What kind of options are those?"

"I never said it would be an easy decision. You must decide for mankind which is the lesser evil." Both crystals once again appeared between them. "Now choose."

"I can't." Mateus shook his head. "I refuse to help the gods destroy millions of lives."

"You must. As the last of the Chosen, you are the only one who can decide the outcome of this war."

"I choose neither." Mateus lifted his nose into the air, looking straight up into Bhunivelze's eyes. "I won't help them."

"You would condemn other worlds to suffer for this? Is your pride truly-"

"I will be your champion. I know you can give me the strength to destroy both of them."

"You don't know what you're asking for."

"You are the last of the Old Gods." Mateus took a step forward. "I would rather pledge my soul to you than either of the destroyers."

"You will accept whatever must be done?"

"I will."

"Then take both crystals and go to Palamecia. There, you shall find the Priests of Old. They will tell you what must be done."

The crystals came together into one as Mateus put his hand out to them. It went to float in front of him and he took it in his hands. One of Bhunivelze's fingers touched his chest. Warmth spread through him.

"Your heart and soul are mine, Chosen."

Mateus looked up at him again, but vanished before he could say anything.

"I only hope they have enough strength to complete the path you have chosen."


	17. Chapter 17

An hour earlier, Mateus had touched the crystals and vanished. The moment he had done so, Vaan felt a fear he'd never really experienced before suddenly burst inside him.

"What happened to Mateus?" Both gray eyes were wide, looking around the area.

"Calm down, Vaan. I'm sure that was supposed to happen." Tidus's smile didn't do anything to calm the thief.

"I can't protect him if he isn't here!" Vaan snapped. "What if he gets into trouble?"

_"Oh, come on guys." Vaan's face was tinted pink now. "Why are you so convinced I have to be in love with him?"_

_"Just let it go, Vaan." Zidane smiled as he got back to writing. "It's just a story."_

"It's probably some kind of test for him. He's supposed to stop this big war or something, isn't he?"

Vaan looked at Tidus and sighed. He knew the explanation made sense. He just didn't like it.

"So, he's making his choice."

The group turned to see a female warrior with pink hair approaching. She held a sword in her hand, with a shield strapped to the other arm.

"Who are you?" Tidus asked.

"An agent of Cosmos." The woman gave a short bow. "My name is Lightning."

"What are you here for?"

Lightning chuckled. "To make sure our little prince makes the right choice."

"He can choose whatever he wants," Vaan said.

"That's where you are wrong. He has the fate of planets on his shoulders. If he makes the wrong choice, people will suffer needlessly. I'm here to ensure that doesn't happen."

"And if he chooses Chaos?"

"Then I guess he'll have to die before he can get Chaos's Blessing."

"What do you mean-"

Vaan yelled in surprise when Lightning suddenly leapt at him with her sword drawn. His was barely raised to defend him. The force of her blow sent him to the ground. The others atacked her without hesitation. Tidus was blocked by the shield she was wearing. Blue eyes looked up when Zidane leapt through the air at her. A shove with her shield arm knocked Tidus off balance. In the next moment, her sword was rasied to defend against Zidane's twin daggers. One of them hit the sword with a loud metallic clang. The other hit it it as well as she moved her arm. The sword she was gripping missed his torso as Zidane forced himself to fall back from the attack. Both of the others had her retreating a few steps as they attacked simultaneously.

"You aren't half bad," she said. "With the way you took down that dragon, I should have expected no less."

"You've been here that long?"

"I've been following you for a while. The little prince grabbed the crystals before I had a chance to."

Her swing missed them, but flames coating the blade made them back away from her. A smile came to her face. It would be easier to just kill them.

"Why do you want the crystals? I thought that was part of the ritual."

"No, he didn't have to grab the crystals. Bhunivelze would have come to him in time. Grasping either crystal before meeting him is simply a way to move things along faster." Lightning sighed. "There's no point to explaining all of this to you. Once the little prince returns, it will be done. Bhunivelze would have granted him the power he's meant to wield."

A flash of light filled the area, dying down moments later. Mateus was half-laying atop the altar the crystals had been sitting on. The light radiated around his heart a few seconds longer before it fully died down. A dazed expression was on his face and he held a crystal in his hand.

"What have you done?" Lightning shouted. "You were supposed to choose Cosmos!"

"I don't recognize that crystal," Vaan said. "What did he choose?"

"Not Cosmos, but I don't recognize it either," Zidane answered.

Mateus looked over at them and started getting up. Lightning's sword pierced through his chest moments later. Shock filled his eyes as blood ran down both her blade and his torso. Purple and blue eyes looked down at the blade as Lightning pulled it away. One hand moved to the wound as Lightning stumbled backward. The others could only stare in shock at Mateus.

"How? I..." Lightning turned and ran, getting away before anyone made any moves. She had to talk to Cosmos about this turn of events.

"Mateus?" Vaan stepped forward. "Are you okay?"

Tears had filled the mage's eyes, giving them a shining look as he turned them to Vaan. Tanned arms wrapped around him as a hand rubbed his back.

"Don't cry, Mateus. You're okay."

Mateus nodded, moving his face into the curve of Vaan's shoulder. The tears were making their way down his cheeks now. Soft sobs came from him as Vaan tried to comfort him.

-Lightning-

'How is he still alive?' Lightning thought. The blade had pierced directly through his heart; everyone present knew it. So why had he not died? 'This is worse than I thought.'

Cosmos's palace came into view and Lightning leapt from Odin's back. She had barely hit the floor before running into the throne room. Cosmos looked up when she heard her approach.

"You have returned."

"I have." Lightning knelt on the floor, right hand covering her heart as she bowed her head. "The Chosen has made his choice."

"And yet I felt nothing. Did you take care of that?"

"I tried, Majesty." Lightning glared at the floor. "My blade pierced his heart; I know it did. But he didn't die."

"What?" The male warrior at Cosmos's side took a step forward. "Surely you jest, Lightning. That is not possible."

"I merely said what had happened." Lightning looked up at her comrade. "Why would I joke with something of this significance?"

"It means he has chosen Bhunivelze. Only another with equal power may take his life now." The goddess closed her eyes for a few moments as she thought it over. "We gods cannot interfere, as you know. There is only one thing we can do."

"Just give the order, and it shall be done."

"Bring my last Chosen to me."


	18. Chapter 18

Mateus stood, slightly pushing Vaan away as he did so.

"Feeling better now?"

"I'm feeling well enough to go." Mateus walked in the direction of the cliff again.

The group went to the top of the cliff again. Laguna gave them a smile when they got back up there.

"Great to see you're all unharmed. I was worried when that lady jumped down there like that."

"You saw her and didn't do anything about her?" Vaan shouted. "What is wrong with you, Laguna?"

"I can't shoot someone that looks like her." Laguna placed his gun back where it belonged as he defended himself. "She was too fast, regardless. I would've missed."

"We need to get to Palamecia as soon as possible," Mateus said. "Does anyone know how?"

"That's a long way," Tidus said. "It'll take at least a week, and that's if we can find someone with an airship willing to take us there."

Mateus sighed and looked at the crystal in his hands. Now that he had chosen, he didn't know how much time he had to complete the mission that had been given to him. Choosing Bhunivelze had made him immortal, but...

"Don't worry," Vaan said. He placed both hands over Mateus's. Purple eyes raised to look into gray. "The world won't end before you get there. I'm sure your choice had an effect on that."

Mateus smiled gratefully at Vaan. The thief was always there to make him feel better when he needed it. Vaan looked at their hands and suddenly pulled away from Mateus.

"Of course, that doesn't mean we shouldn't get there as soon as possible."  
After a full day of walking, Laguna had led them to a city. It was on the nearby lake, at least half of it built atop the water. The group looked around as Laguna turned to speak to them.

"I'll get rooms at the hotel. You guys get something to eat at one of the taverns. Order something for me; I'll catch up with you guys soon. Maybe you can find someone with an airship while you're there."

Laguna ran off before anyone could say anything against his plan.

"All right then," Tidus said. "Let's go."

The moment they set foot in one of the nearby taverns, Mateus wrinkled his nose. He already didn't like it there. Drunkards were loudly boasting about their achievements, some spilling their drinks as they moved their arms in exaggerated gestures. Women walked around serving the drinks and food, showing an indecent amount of skin. Mateus turned, but was stopped by Vaan.

"It's fine, Mateus."

Vaan didn't release his arm the entire way to the table. Mateus looked at the others, who seemed unconcerned with everything going on around them. In fact, they seemed to fit right in. Of course, the rest of the group had probably been in plenty of taverns before. The knowledge brought a sigh to Mateus's lips as he looked at the table.

"Can I get you boys anything?"

The waitress that had spoken to them truly was a beauty. Long black hair was pulled back from her delicate face, a few thick sections of it styled in front for her bangs. Her lips were curved into a pleasant smile with the barest hint of red. Zidane's gaze travelled down the slender curve of her throat and to her well-defined bosom. A wide smile came to his face. Before he could start saying complimenting her, Tidus answered her.

"Five Rose Liquers, Fish..." Tidus looked at the others.

"Two Chaos Parfaits, and Fried Munchkin," Vaan said.

"I'll just have a burger," Zidane said.

The waitress wrote it all down and nodded.

"I'll be back soon with your drinks."

As she walked off, Zidane watched her hips while the others looked at Mateus. The mage didn't look comfortable, and kept shifting uneasily. A slight whimpering noise came from him as he set his hands on the table and tried to get used to his surroundings.

"What's the matter?" Vaan asked. The sound of his voice pulled Zidane's attention back to the group.

"I don't like this place."

"You'll be fine. It's just for dinner, then we'll leave." Vaan smiled reassuringly at the mage. A grin widened across Zidane's face as Mateus smiled back at Vaan, the thief's hand coming to rest on the mage's.

"Right now, we should decide what to do," Tidus cut in. All three turned their attention to him. "If we're going to Palamecia, the best way to go would be airship. If not, we'll have to go through a mountain range, and that's a hell of a lot more treacherous than flying."

"But we don't know anyone with an airship," Vaan said. "Would they even have any in this town?"

"Here's your drinks," the waitress said. She leaned over, setting the drinks down in front of them. "You're food will be done soon. ...If you don't mind me butting in, I know someone with an airship."

"You do?"

"Yes. I could introduce you tomorrow, if you'd like."

"We would." Mateus smiled at her.

The waitress smiled as well before looking away and hurrying to where she was being called. Mateus looked down at the drink and took a sip. His nose wrinkled at the taste. Looking at everyone else showed that they were unaffected by it.

"Wow. That one's strong," Vaan said. "What do you think, Mateus?"

"I... I'm not sure." Mateus looked down at the drink and tried it again.

Laguna joined them right before the food arrived, and gave them a smile. The group ate their food, all but Mateus getting a refill of the alcohol. Luckily, Laguna had told them where they were staying, and Mateus was completely sober. He got them into their rooms before bringing Vaan to the room they were supposed to be sharing.

Vaan smiled at him as he was pushed into bed, pulling the mage down with him. Pink blossomed over Mateus's cheeks as he tried to push away from Vaan.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Metal-gloved hands pushed aside the robe covering his torso, kisses soon trailing along his collarbone. Pale skin flushed at the contact. A sudden wetness licking across his nipple brought a gasp.

"Vaan... Stop it. I..."

Tanned lips pressed against his own purple to silence him. Cold metal pushed the robes from his slender shoulders and the cloth pooled around him as Vaan flipped their positions. He may have been smaller, but the thief did have more physical strength behind his mass. Excitement and heat were filling Mateus, swirling in his mind and making him almost dizzy with... pleasure? Hips pushed between his thighs and he felt himself farther flush. Vaan's intentions were clear; his own willingness to allow it frightened him. Long nails ran down tanned arms and he heard a low groan.

"Seems almost as if you want it... Your Majesty."

"Don't be... Oh! Silly..."

Tan lips moved, leaving a trail of fire down the length of his body. Gasps and moans wouldn't stop leaving Mateus as his overly-sensitive skin was kissed and lapped at. A dull thud signaled Vaan's gauntlets hitting the floor. Next thing Mateus knew, hands and fingers were adding to the sensations. Eyes closed with pleasure accompanying a loud moan.

_"Cecil!" Firion marched over and took both the book and the pen from the paladin. "Children are reading this. You can't just..."_

_"How do you know I was even doing that? What if I was writing something harmless?"_

_"There's no mistaking that look you have." Firion read over what he had missed and started writing._


	19. Chapter 19

The following morning, Vaan woke later than he usually would have. Feeling heat at his side, he turned his head to look. The mage was sleeping there, looking more at peace than Vaan had seen him in a while. Blond hair spread out over the sheets and pillow, with a few strands sticking to Mateus. The sight brought a smile to Vaan's lips. Vague memories of the night before flashed in his memory. Mostly Mateus's voice, but that was enough for him to get the picture. Vaan reached out and moved the strands behind Mateus's ear with a sigh.

He could see thin pink lines running down the length of his arms, small pains across his shoulders and back telling him they must have gotten the same treatment. To be sure, he went to the bathroom to check in the mirror. The visage that met him was one he had never expected to see. Dirty blond hair was messier than usual. There was the clear indentation of a bite on his collarbone as well, in the middle of purple smears from Mateus's lipstick. Vaan counted himself fortunate the others couldn't see him in this state. Especially Zidane.

"Oh, that's disgusting," Mateus groaned from the other room. Vaan couldn't help the small smile that came to his face. Of course Mateus would complain. Footsteps came to the bathroom and soon the mage was in the mirror with him. "Did I do that?"

Vaan hissed as a hand ran over the scratches. Lips touched them moments later, moving from one to the other until Vaan was sure his upper back had been covered in kisses.

"I just need a shower," he said.

"I do as well. Why don't we take one together?" Vaan turned to look at him in surprise as he continued. "It'll save time. We're supposed to meet with that woman from the tavern this morning."

-time skip-

As they returned to the others later, Vaan looked at his arms. The scratches from earlier had nearly faded, which Vaan was glad for. Fingers brushed over the bite that hadn't even started fading yet.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Mateus said. He was looking at Vaan's hand. Vaan lowered his hand from his collarbone and shook his head.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I'm pretty sure I hurt you more than you hurt me."

First time together, and he had been drunk. It was the biggest mess up Vaan had ever made.

"You didn't hurt me." Mateus shook his head. "It was..."

"Oh, what do we have here?" Zidane was suddenly in front of Vaan, running a hand over the light scratches on his forearm. Of course he had to show up before they had fully faded. "Pretty sure those weren't there last night."

"We need to get going." Vaan pushed Zidane off, ignoring his snickering. "Where'd she say to meet her?"

"Probably the tavern again." Mateus frowned as he said it. Even if it was just to meet with someone, he wasn't terribly keen on going back.

"To the tavern then." There was a pause as Zidane's lips curved into a wicked smirk. "Unless His Majesty still needs some time. Looks like things got a little rough, after all."

"I'm perfectly fine."

Mateus strode past them in the direction of the tavern with his nose slightly higher in the air than usual.

"It happened, alright?" Vaan hissed. "Now will you shut up about it?"

Despite the tone he had, a blush was making it's way onto Vaan's face. He had known Zidane would do this the moment he had realized what happened. The others looked like they were of the same opinion as the monkey. Luckily, they seemed less willing to say anything.

"Oh come on. I'm just having a bit of fun. I really am worried about Mateus, though. What if he made the wrong choice?"

"It does seem like a bit of a gamble. I'm more worried what we'll find in Palamecia."

"Are you going to come with me or stand there talking?" Mateus had turned and was staring at them.

_"Are you guys serious?" Vaan set down the book as he yelled. Both cheeks had flushed a deep shade of pink a few minutes ago. "I mean, the emperor? Why in the world would I-"_

_"It was Cecil's idea." Firion waved a hand as he spoke. "Besides, it's the logical way for the story to go."_

_Vaan stuttered a few times and picked up the pen. He might as well add to it._

The three looked at each other before going to the tavern with Mateus. The waitress from yesterday was there, smiling when they came in. A gray-haired man was with her, sitting on the stool at her side with his back to the room.

"I'm glad you came. My name's Tifa, and this is Cid. He's the best when it comes to airships." Tifa motioned toward the man with the hand not holding her drink.

"The best? I merely modified my own to be better than others. It has nothing to do with my flying ability." Cid turned to look at the group. "Going to Palamecia, then? Nasty place, that. Full of magicks people shouldn't expose themselves to for too long. What brings you there?"

Mateus glanced at Vaan before saying; "My quest."

"Ah. The Chosen of the Gods, is it? Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." The smile he gave Mateus was one that looked as if he gave it to everyone he met. A perfect fit for the rehearsed tone of his voice. Or maybe he always sounded half sarcastic. "As I said, those magicks are rather dangerous. Are you certain that's where you want to go?"

Mateus nodded and the man shrugged.

"May I come along?" Tifa set the cup down. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I-"

"If you really want to, I have no objections." If anyone disagreed with Mateus, they didn't say anything. "When do we leave?"

"Give me an hour, and I can be ready. Meet me at the South end of town then."


	20. Chapter 20

An hour later, the group was where Cid had instructed them to be. Tifa ran over, wearing different clothes than they had previously seen her in. Now, she wore a short black skirt with connected suspenders and a white shirt. There were gloves on her hands, and shoes better suited for running and fighting than working in a tavern. Zidane looked her over with a smile as Cid began talking. 

"Leaving now should get us to Palamecia by tomorrow morning. Unless something comes up, of course. The war currently going on may affect our speed."

"The airships?" Laguna asked.

"They're using those things like there's no other way to fight a war. Blasting each other out of the sky." Cid shook his head. "A real waste of materials, that." 

The door to the airship opened and all of them got in. Mateus looked around. Cid went to the cockpit, started up the ship, and rose into the sky before taking off. The initial lurch of going forward nearly knocked Mateus over, much to Vaan's amusement. 

"You get used to it," he laughed. 

"Shouldn't we sit before he does that?"

"The only one that really needs to is the captain, and even that depends what's going on. I know some airships can pilot themselves, with the proper equipment installed." 

"I'm not so sure I like them." 

Vaan shook his head with a smile before taking a seat. He pat the floor next to him. 

"Until it lands, there's not much to do." 

Mateus sat beside him and sighed. Ever since he had been made to choose a crystal, he had been worrying. What would happen if he wasn't strong enough? Making enemies of both gods couldn't have been the smartest decision, in hindsight. If he couldn't pull this off, Vaan- everyone- would be killed. Bhunivelze had told him to go to Palamecia. But what if the priests weren't there? He couldn't complete this without them. Bringing both knees up, Mateus pressed his forehead against them and sighed. This thinking wasn't going to get him anywhere, either. 

"What's wrong?" Tanned fingers played with long blond hair as Mateus shook his head. "Mateus, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Mateus turned his head to look at Vaan. 

"I won't pretend to know what you were told, but I'm sure you knew what you were doing."

"That doesn't help." Mateus turned his face back into his knees. "I might have doomed everyone anyway. Both the gods are against me now, and who knows if--" 

"Don't talk like that. We're going to get through this, okay? Just trust me."

Mateus sighed. The others would do what they could to help him. He knew that. But there was so much on his shoulders... He'd never even been in charge of a single building, let alone saving an entire planet. Even knowing the others had his back, everything was still ultimately up to how much power he had. There wasn't anything anyone could do if he failed.

Tanned hands tilted his face upward so Vaan could place a kiss on his lips. When he drew back, Vaan gave him a smile. 

"Come on, Mateus. Don't think so much about it." 

"I can't just ignore everything. This is important, Vaan."

"I know that." Vaan pouted, crossing his arms and leaning back. "I just don't think you should worry so much. Hold your head high, like you have been." 

Mateus turned and smiled. That, he could do. One of his hands moved to Vaan's arm as he leaned against the smaller male. Closing both eyes, Mateus felt Vaan's hand lay over his. 

-nearly a day later-

The landing was much smoother than the take off had been. Around the airship was the ruins of an ancient city. It had been standing nearly twenty years ago, but a catastrophic display of magical power had brought the city to ruin, with naught much but the castle remaining. The great magicks could still be seen, their density causing them to be seen as they clouded the air. Vaan looked at it in wonder, passing his hand through in fascination. Cid walked over with a smile before starting to explain. 

"These magicks have been here for nearly two decades, though some think it was probably here much longer. As you see it now, the magicks have grown so dense and powerful that they have been able to manifest without a person channeling them. All this raw energy has attracted many power-hungry fools over the years, though none have been able to properly wield any of it." 

Vaan watched the magicks move through the air before walking over to Mateus. The group had unanimously decided to split up and look around the ruins. Unlike the others, Mateus seemed to be hesitating. 

"Remember what I said about holding your head high? There's no time for hesitation." 

"This is Palamecia?" Mateus sighed. "It's far from what I was expecting." 

"What were you expecting?"

"A castle with my real parents, for one. Not these ruins full of magical air." 

Vaan chuckled and shook his head at the disappointment in Mateus's voice. Well, there wasn't anything they could do about it now.

"Let's just find those priests, okay?" Vaan gave Mateus's arm a small tug. "I'd guess they're inside the castle's ruins." 

"You won't find anything here," a female's voice came from the direction of the ruins. 

Mateus's eyes widened as he looked through the magic. He knew that voice... it couldn't be... Vaan looked at his face in confusion before turning his gaze in the same direction. 

"Nothing that may help you, anyway." The woman that stepped out of the swirling magic had to be a summon. No other person could look like she did. 

Every part of her bare body was pink, with what looked like hair flaring out behind her. Both her hands and feet had sharp claws, and her teeth were just as sharp and pointed when she smiled. 

"Mother..." Mateus took a step back from her. "Why do you..." 

"Silence!" The command echoed through the ruins and caused Mateus to flinch. 

Behind her, Vaan noticed Tidus motioning frantically for him. There was blood flowing down one of his arms, and Vaan looked at Mateus before biting his lip and cautiously walking around the monster. Through their exchange, Terra had continued speaking. 

"What did you think you were doing? Choosing Bhunivelze was the stupidest mistake you could have made! After everything you've gone through- everything I've taught you..."

"I thought it was the right thing to do. The other choices-"

"You should have chosen Cosmos!" There was none of the care Mateus remembered in her expression, only hatred and anger. "For twenty-two years, I looked after you. Knowing full well what was to become of you! And this is how you repay me? By turning your back on everything? For what did you do it, Mateus?" 

Mateus stuttered, backing away from her. This was a side of her he'd never seen before. It was frightening, and he hated it. Hated being afraid of her. It wasn't supposed to be like this. 

"Cosmos and Chaos both were going to destroy everything. I'm trying to save humanity. Isn't that what you want?" 

"You don't get it, do you? Bhunivelze doesn't care about humanity! All he cares about is himself! He's going to use your body for whatever he sees fit! That isn't in anyone's best interests!"

"I-"

A hand around his throat cut off the rest of Mateus's sentence. Tears came to his eyes as he had trouble breathing, pain stabbing the side of his throat where her claws were. This was his mother. She would never do this to him... Looking into her eyes, Mateus didn't see any emotion. Didn't she care? 

"You're going to die," Bhunivelze's voice boomed loudly in Mateus's mind. "Why don't you do something?" 

Mateus closed his eyes and tried summoning a fireball to get his mother off of him. 

"Something better than- Oh never mind. Relinquish control to me, Chosen."

A warmth spread through Mateus as the magic in the air started converging around him. Terra hissed and dropped him, jumping back from the hostile magic. Coughing, Mateus brought a hand to his throat and looked around. He couldn't see Vaan- had something happened to him?

"You can't control that yet, stop!" Terra was yelling at him, holding herself back from the magic. "Don't let him take you!" 

Mateus could barely hear her over the roaring around him. She looked worried... Why? She had just tried to kill him. 

"Exactly. She tried to kill you. If you don't give control to me, she'll do it again."

"I can't... I need to use-" Mateus screamed, the magic flowing into his body. There was a spray of red as it burst from his back in the form of wings. 

"Keep absorbing it. That's a good Chosen." Bhunivelze chuckled, and Mateus wished he could stop this. If he didn't get it under control... 

The heat and pain was too much for him and Mateus felt himself lose consciousness.


	21. Chapter 21

Vaan followed Tidus into the ruins after one more look in Mateus's direction. The mage could handle himself, but he couldn't help the worry he felt. That was his mother, after all. 

"What happened in here?" Vaan looked around at all the scorch marks and broken equipment lying around. 

"Don't know. But those priests we're supposed to see were killed. Zidane found them. And Terra."

"She killed them? Why? I thought she was on our side." 

Tidus shrugged. "No idea. But Zidane's hurt pretty badly, and I'm not sure what happened to Laguna. When Terra was attacking us, she kicked him through something in this magic stuff."

The room Terra had attacked them in came into view then and the both of them ran over to Zidane. Slumped against the wall with a hand pressed against his chest, Zidane looked up at them. A smile was forced through the pain in his expression. 

"Finally got back, huh?" The small laugh caused him to cough. "What took you so long?" 

"It wasn't that long." Tidus shook his head and looked at Vaan. "You can do something about this, right?" 

"You guys don't have white magic?" 

Tidus shook his head as Vaan knelt down and moved Zidane's hand, revealing a bloody gash across his chest. The shirt had been burnt off, and the amount of blood worried Vaan. He was no expert, but that much blood loss couldn't be a good sign. 

"Don't know what I can do here... I only really know the basics." 

The familiar surge of magic flowed through his body as Vaan started using the highest cure he knew. Zidane hissed in a breath and closed his eyes. Feeling the burn trying to heal as the gash slowly closed itself was one of the most unpleasant things he had ever felt. The extra magic in the air helped, adding itself without Vaan needing to tell it to. He just hoped nothing bad came of that. 

"So where's Laguna?" 

"We don't know," Tidus answered. "He hasn't come back since he vanished. We would look for him, but..." 

An explosion outside startled the three, Vaan's spell dissipating instantly. Some dust and crumbled rock fell from the ceiling and walls. 

"What was that?" Vaan got up, already turning toward the entrance. He was too far in to see anything and frowned. Turning again, Vaan looked at Zidane. "I need to finish healing you." 

"You're not worried?" Zidane shifted position in an attempt to get to his feet. "We should go see what happened." 

"That gash needs to finish closing before you go anywhere. Even someone like me can see you're losing too much blood." 

Placing his hands directly on Zidane's chest moved it along much faster, and Vaan released him once it was closed. Heeled footsteps echoed down the hall before they could go anywhere. The pace was hurried, and Mateus soon came through the doorway. A tired smile came onto his face when he saw them. 

"You're alright," Mateus said. The smile faded then. "We need to leave." 

"Leave? But isn't this where-" 

"This magic is doing something to me. I have no idea what happened in these last few minutes." 

"What's the last thing you remember?" 

"Mother trying to kill me, and pain. I know I lost consciousness, and when I came back..." Mateus wrapped his arms around himself and looked to the side. "I killed my own mother. If I couldn't even prevent that, then how am I supposed to save everyone else?" 

"She was trying to kill you," Tidus pointed out. "Did she say anything to you?" 

"She was disappointed in me for my choice. I..." Mateus sank to the floor, hands muffling his voice. "She says Bhunivelze is just using me. What if she's right? What if this turns out worse than if I had chosen one of the others?" 

"What could be worse than everyone dying?" 

"I don't even know what he wants. He agreed to this but... I don't even know the first thing about him. For all I know, he could be worse than both of them." 

Wrapping his arms around Mateus, Vaan sighed. This wasn't going to get them anywhere. Running his fingers through the long blond hair seemed to help Mateus, so Vaan kept at it. 

Tidus and Zidane looked around the room they were in for anything useful, pausing in one of the open doorways. 

"We'll take a look down this way. Just... Wait here, okay?" 

The two ran off, the sound of their shoes echoing through the stone halls. 

_"This is certainly interesting." Mateus turned away from the book, looking back at the couch where Vaan was sitting. "Mind if I add to it?"_

_"I don't see why not. Gabranth wrote some in the other day, and Kefka thought about it this morning." Crossing his arms and setting a foot on the table in front of him, he muttered something into his lap._

_Mateus looked at Vaan in curiosity a few moments longer before lifting the pen._

"I'm lost, Vaan. I want to help- Really, I do. But if I made the wrong choice, and Bhunivelze's just using me for something worse, I..." The shuddered breath washed over Vaan's throat as Mateus moved closer. "It was either her or me, wasn't it?"

"Looked that way before I left." Brushing a few strands of hair from Mateus' cheek, he smiled at him. "I know you're upset that you killed her. Anyone would be in your situation. So go ahead. You don't need to hold it back for me." 

"I'm too weak for this," mumbling the words against Vaan's throat accompanied tears gathering in his eyes. "Back there, when I had to make the choice, I had thought I was strong. That I had everything figured out and would get through this without any problems. Now, I'm not so sure. Having my mother attack me was bad enough. What if-" 

Fingers over his mouth silenced Mateus and he turned to look up at Vaan. 

"You are strong enough, Mateus. If you weren't then you wouldn't be here right now." Smiling and stroking a thumb over his cheek, Vaan leaned forward and placed a kiss to Mateus's forehead. "I'm not going to pretend to understand what happened out there. But if Bhunivelze took your body, he gave it back. You're in one piece and still you." 

"I'm exhausted, though. Whatever he did took too much out of me, even with the extra magic. I'm not strong enough."

"You are a mage with pure magic energy in the air around you. Who's to say you didn't just take in too much at once?" 

Mateus looked at Vaan for a moment and looked away with a sigh. 

"Come on, Mateus. Look at me." Taking his face in his hands, Vaan made Mateus look at him. "I'm here. The others are here. Bhunivelze gave your body back. Whatever he wants can't be that bad, can it?" 

"You're bad at cheering people up, you know that?" 

"You'll have to see Tidus for that." Vaan smiled and kissed him. Forehead pressing against Mateus', Vaan looked him in the eyes. "We're not... I'm not going anywhere. No matter what Bhunivelze has planned, I'll do everything I can to help you. Just tell me what you need." 

"Stay with me. Keep me here." 

"Keep you... What are you talking about?" 

"Guys, we found something!" Tidus and Zidane ran into the room, interrupting Mateus before he could say anything. Both of them stopped before Zidane continued speaking. "Well, we found Tifa and she's the one who found it, but... Anyway, it's probably what we need." 

"What did you find?" Mateus moved back from Vaan and stood. 

"Some kind of weird thing down past the dungeon. There's magic all over the place down there, so we figured it's something you need to see." 

"Lead the way."


End file.
